Incarnations
by Mireilles3
Summary: When Vader manages to catch his son once again, he has very particular plans that will surprise even his rebellious son. However, is it a trap? Or are his good intentions genuine? Read and find out! L/V/E/Le/H/M/etc. drama, angst, family, hurt/comfort. Please, R and R!
1. Chapter 1

Incarnations

By Mireille

2006/2012

* * *

When Vader manages to catch his son once again, he has very particular plans that will surprise even his rebellious son. However, is it a trap? Or are his good intentions genuine?

Good afternoon everyone!

Here is the fifth of eleven stories that I feel like writing, but can't decide which to work on first. Can you help me figure out that answer?

The story with the most readers and reviews will be my next project in the works. Since it can take a few parts before we finally get to the crux of some stories, I won't check the final tally right from the start. However, only the total of both reviews and ongoing readers will determine which story I'm going to work on first, so, if you like this one, leave a review to vote for it :)

Thanks for your help! Hope you enjoy this story as well!

If you do, please, share your thoughts

* * *

Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belong to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

* * *

Although Luke had managed to escape from the bounty hunters that had laid a trap for him on Ord Mantell – as if he hadn't seen 'that' one coming after their last narrow escape from that place - he had yet to return to the safety of the fleet.

As per their plan, the Rogues had come to his assistance and they had all escaped together. However, almost as soon as he and his friends had entered hyperspace, Luke's X-wing had begun acting up. Thus, somewhere in the middle of their transition, he had informed his comrades that they had to stop and check out the problem.

After running a series of analysis with Artoo, Luke had determined that the repairs wouldn't take long. However, since his comrades were already low on fuel and oxygen, he told them to leave him for now and rejoin the fleet. Once there, they could send a pick up transport, or he would have fixed the problem on his own and signal his imminent return.

He had also managed to clear his plan with Home One, their best secured ship amongst the closest ones, who had given him an ETA of, at worst, three hours.

Thus it was that the farmboy-turned-Jedi was placing the last seals on his flight suit and breath mask before he could open his canopy and venture out into space.

"Alright, Artoo. I'm coming out. Open the tool compartment, but make sure they're secured first." He didn't feel like floating after his tools on top of his current misfortune.

His only comfort was that, lost in the vastness of space as he was, no one but his allies would know where to find him for the next few hours.

Here, and aboard random Alliance ships, were about the only safe places for him nowadays. It also made him that much more difficult to track by either imperial or underground agents.

At least, they all hoped so, but seeing as how the enemy seemed to rely on planet-side traps to catch him whereas he hadn't come under any new attack while with the fleet, they surmised that their strategy was working.

"Okay, let's see what the techs missed this time," he muttered while he carefully unscrewed the panel that would give him access to the faulty stabilizer. While he had already decided that he'd need a new one to permanently fix the problem, he still had enough parts and pieces in his repair kit to arrange for a temporary solution that would get him back to Home one, unless she came to him first.

However, considering how Home One was still nearby Er'kit, taking delivery of more of its sister ships, he strongly suspected that he would complete his repairs before they could even head toward him.

Or so he thought until he saw the burnt and frayed wires that could barely hold the stabilizer in place. He'd need more replacement wires for this than he had at his disposal.

"Artoo, buddy, I think I've been given yet another opportunity to work on my patience," he commented lamely. He didn't want to say what was really on his mind, but 'screwed' was a good summary of his thoughts.

Artoo blatted derogatorily in answer, mirroring his thoughts.

Still unable to understand binary, Luke threw a look at his portable screen for the translation. "Yeah, or that," he finally answered.

His astromech fluted something else.

"Well, it was that or falling to pieces before we arrived, so what would you prefer?"

Another sound, one of resignation.

"Yeah, I thought so." He closed the panel and screwed it back in place. "Okay, there's no point for my staying..."

Even as he felt as if something huge and dangerous was about to happen, the kilometre-long shape of an imperial star destroyer came out of hyperspace and materialized almost on top of him.

Vader's presence instantly reached out for his- and knocked him out before he could mount any defence.

* * *

Aboard the Dominant and in a secondary landing bay, Darth Vader overlooked the recovery procedures, wary for any mistakes as his subordinates established a lock on his son's inert form and extended an air-filled retrieval channel to cover the x-wing to which Luke was still tethered.

Space-suited troopers then went down the 0-gs passage and removed the boy's breathing mask before cutting off his tether. Then, still ignoring the Jedi's furious astromech that Vader had Force-pulled out of its socket and toward the landing bay, his troops pushed up and away, carrying their prisoner aboard.

The moment that regular gravity had been re-established, Vader penetrated inside the bay and directly oversaw the rest of the Jedi's capture.

He dimly noticed the form of the crashed droid that had already been fit with a restraining bolt by technicians.

He had been right, he nodded to himself. The Force wanted him to be reunited with his son, hence had guided him aboard the Dominant for its latest patrol, and straight to the youth while Luke had been in a vulnerable position.

As for his choice of strategy, since he had already tested the boy's skills, and that there would be plenty of other opportunities to do so again in the future, he had resigned himself to putting him out of the equation as soon as possible.

The boy was just too resourceful and stubborn for his own well-being.

"Free him from that suit and secure him, and his droid, aboard my shuttle. We leave immediately," he ordered and watched impatiently as the troopers complied.

Soon, very soon, he tempered himself. The wait was almost over.

On the deck, Luke remained limp and completely unresponsive as the techs cut him out of his flight suit, revealing black clothes underneath.

A most auspicious color, if there was any considering the truth of his origins.

It pleased him, aware that it meant that the boy had, in a way, accepted their family relationship.

Now, he truly couldn't wait to talk again with him.

TBC

* * *

Well? How was that?

If you want more, you know what to do:) And if you don't want more because of bad characterizations, lack of detail, or anything that could help me improve this story into a more edible read, I'd still like to know why (via private messaging if you prefer). However, if you simply don't like _this kind_ of story, then don't worry. To each our own :)

Have a great week-end everyone, and remember, reviews are very precious gifts all year long :D Moreover, this time, they might make me work on this story first for the next year or so ;P So? Will you vote for it? I hope so!


	2. Chapter 2

Incarnations

By Mireille

2006/2012

* * *

When Vader manages to catch his son once again, he has very particular plans that will surprise even his rebellious son. However, is it a trap? Or are his good intentions genuine?

* * *

Good afternoon everyone!

Here is the second part of the fifth of eleven stories that I feel like writing, but can't decide which to work on first. Can you help me figure out that answer?

Remember? The story with the most readers and reviews will be my next project in the works. So, if you like this one, leave a review to vote for it :)

Thanks for your help! Hope you enjoy this story as well!

If you do, please, share your thoughts :)

* * *

Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belong to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

* * *

Part 2: the rules of the game

When Luke awoke, he found himself on a very comfortable bed – and he jerked up in shock.

That was too comfortable to be his Alliance-issue bunk!

He sat up and nervously looked around ; he stilled completely when he became aware of several surprising facts all at once.

First, he was in space, but not aboard any ship he was familiar with. He was also aboard a ship that was in hyperspace.

Second, he was not restrained in any way that he could see, which was truly rare when he awoke anywhere but in Alliance quarters or aboard the Falcon.

Finally, he was not harmed in any way. That, too, was rare when he had been forced unconscious, or when he had just faced Vader, he reminded himself while the previous events slowly came back to him.

Okay then, he mused as he pushed himself to his feet and walked toward the closed door, Vader had caught him, and they were already far away from where he had last been seen..., and although not restrained by bonds of any kind, he still couldn't escape. He sighed as he slowly ran his hands over the closed door and discovered that even with the help of the Force, it wouldn't budge open.

Fourth, he realized in bewilderment, he could also still call on the Force. Unlike his previous detention by Vader, he had all his wits and powers about him - but he might as well not have them as they didn't do him much good right now.

He continued to probe the door and its surroundings, looking for a way out, when it suddenly opened. However, instead of finding freedom, he found himself face to face with the hulking form of the Dark Lord of the Sith that had captured him.

He reflexively backpedalled until they stood at least two meters apart.

"If I hadn't already hidden you from the Emperor, he would know exactly where you are right now. You need to learn to shield better, Son."

"I... what?" he frowned, befuddled. Whatever he had expected to hear from the man, it hadn't been a rebuttal about his lack of shielding. "What do you want? What am I doing here?"

"Instead of in the detention center, you mean?"

"No, I - huh, yeah, exactly! Is that a change of habit, or..." he fumbled, caught completely unprepared by the Sith's awareness of the difference between the current situation and the last time that he had held him prisoner.

"You are my only son, Luke, and I am ashamed of what happened before between us. I never meant for any of it to happen."

"Right...," he scoffed in disbelief. "But keeping me against my will still is?"

"This is only for your protection, I promise. The Emperor wants you captured 'yesterday', Luke. He has sent his best agents after you so that you can be brought directly to him, cutting me out of the loop." While he talked, Vader stepped closer, as if to add weight to his words so as to convince him of their gravity. "I will not let this happen. I will 'not' let him corrupt you as he did me."

Luke still maintained the two-meter chasm between them by stepping back even as Vader kept advancing toward him. He then crossed his arms in defiant bravado – which he didn't completely feel but he would die before revealing that to Vader. "I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

"Like you took care of yourself against me today?" Vader taunted, taking yet another step closer.

Luke still stepped back. "That's..."

"Luke," Vader began calmly, finally remaining where he stood, "you are the last of the Jedi and already very strong in the Force, and I 'am' your father. Considering how I do not wish for you to suffer in the Dark Side, and that you will develop your powers no matter what, the only remaining option that we both have left is for you to nurture your Light under 'my' protection and away from the Emperor's eyes and senses. That way, you will both be safe from everyone who could come after you and become the Jedi that you wish to be."

Luke could only stare in stupefaction. Who was that man and what had he done with Darth Vader?

"I promise never to hurt you again. I became a little too arrogant on Bespin and forgot who I was fighting against, but it will never happen again."

Luke considered the other's repentant attitude and eventually frowned. "You'll forgive me if I don't believe you."

Vader sighed and sat on the corner of the bed. In a way, he reminded Luke of Ben when the Jedi had sat back on a rock when the farmboy had been searching for a certain runaway droid, but he shooed the image away. This was Vader he was dealing with; Vader, his archnemesis, his Sith enemy.

His father.

"There's nothing to forgive, Son; it's my entire fault and I am aware of it now."

"So?" Luke challenged, extending his arms in silent challenge. "As far as I can see, nothing has changed around here."

Vader reluctantly nodded in answer. "The galaxy is still a very chaotic place, it's true, and I still hold the power to spread peace and justice as much as I can, but to retain that power, I must also obey the Emperor and his less... lofty commands. However, as far as 'you' are concerned, I am not the man you first met anymore."

"Prove it, then," the youth smirked grimly. "Let me go."

As expected, Vader shook his head slowly. "You are not safe out there anymore."

"And I knew you'd say that," Luke sneered in annoyance. "Well, I don't trust you anymore than you trust anyone else."

"Which is sadly understandable." Vader commented before he gazed for a while at the annoyed Jedi. "I will make a deal with you, Son. Take your time to read the Jedi books that I have gathered here for you, and when you'll be ready to talk again, let me know. I will not impose my presence on you." He stood and Force-opened a door that Luke hadn't tried yet. "This leads to a kitchenette; you can order whatever you desire, whenever you want. The 'fresher," he shifted his stance to point behind Luke, "is there. I also equipped these secret quarters with other amenities. I leave it to you to explore them."

Luke was too dumbfounded to utter a single sound as Vader turned to leave.

* * *

Before the boy could recover from his new shock, Vader stood up and quickly walked out the outer door of Luke's secret quarters. Gaining his son's trust t would be a long and hard process, but he was a patient man nowadays.

He was especially patient when it came to his ultimate victory over his Sith slaver. Although he hadn't mentioned anything related to this part of his plan to his son, and that he hadn't lied about his desire to keep Luke safe from Palpatine, his main reason for wanting Luke firmly anchored in the Light was because his son was his last hope of ever being healed completely.

He had studied the matter for a long while, had read countless Jedi books he had never cared about but had been wise enough to save from destruction, and he had eventually understood that only a Jedi Master could ever be able to accomplish what would otherwise be a miraculous healing.

Since his son, then an untrained Force-sensitive, had already been amongst the last of the Jedi 'and; was also the only one who might ever accept to help him, Vader had no choice but to find Luke and train him to the level of a Master while making sure that the boy's connection to the Light remained absolutely untainted.

Besides, he shrugged inwardly, as much as he didn't completely regret his choice to turn to the Dark Side and the power it gave him – mostly that of choice – he also understood that there was no need for Sith and Jedi to fight against one another, not if they simply learnt to co-exist once neither sought to overcome the galaxy or harm the innocents.

While Palpatine would never accept that, 'he' would. Besides, he had learnt, from his twenty years spent as a warrior on the front line of two different and galaxy-wide wars, that no one ever won those while any sort of violent conflict 'always' ended up hurting the innocents. Granted, if unbridled, the Dark Side kept pushing and pushing for its servant to ensure its supremacy, but if held in check and balanced with the Light Side, like it mostly was for him ever since he had discovered his son's existence, the dark side was mostly content to just exist and be used when necessary.

The balance, though, was the result of a constant effort to maintain self-control and serenity so that his emotions didn't control him. However, he didn't completely squash them either like the hated Jedi code had demanded of him.

Still, if he could do it on his personal scale, then he was confident that the two sides of the Force and their remaining and more moderate representatives – namely he and Luke once Palpatine and Yoda were out of the way – could do it as well.

In a way, his son and him would become the incarnations of both the Light and the Dark Side of the Force, living in harmony and perfectly balanced, at last.

As for the galaxy, it would finally be at peace, and it would be ruled by both a wise and young Jedi Master and an experienced and tempered Sith Master working hand in hand, along with a Senate of elected representatives.

Indeed, he promised himself as he stood in front of the bay window that formed the outer wall of his personal living quarters, considering that his prodigal son had almost already reached the level of Knighthood after mere months of training – and at an age that was unheard of – he was confident that Luke would grow to the level of Master before long.

The youth merely needed to be able to practice and devote his time to his studies, and he had to remain hidden from the Emperor's prying eyes and senses so that he remained safe during this delicate time of his training.

That way, Luke would remain Vader's ace up his sleeve till the very last moment, and Palpatine would never see 'that' coming.

Satisfied with his plan and his moderation of his former impulses that had once led him to try and coerce the boy to his side, he nodded in renewed resolve and turned away. It was time for him to return to the bridge and confer with his generals. The spies had apparently uncovered the location of a rebel base.

* * *

Inside his quarters, Luke had not moved from the floor where he had sat down after Vader had left. He was also still staring blankly in front of himself, all thoughts of meditation well beyond him even though he had adopted the now familiar position.

He had 'no' idea what to do now. After all, the other times that he had been a prisoner – anyone's prisoner – the choice had been fairly simple: resist as much as possible and try to escape the torture or the cell he had been thrown in.

This time, though... it was already clear that he couldn't escape, but he also wasn't about to be tortured, or at least not in any way that was obvious to him. He was also in what looked like a completely autonomous quarter adjoining Vader's.

He had no doubt that Vader's quarters were on the other side of the locked door.

As for his new living arrangements, well... he had seen worse, much worse. He had awakened in a bedroom/office space, and he already knew that he had a 'fresher and a kitchenette. Yet, Vader had also hinted at more as well.

If the bookcases filled with books and cards were anything to go by, the Sith Lord apparently didn't want his 'guest' to go mad with boredom. So what else could he have prepared for him, the farmboy left in him wondered, and then was quickly restrained by the Jedi who reminded him that no matter the circumstances, he was still in a cage and in Vader's custody.

He couldn't let his guard down for even a second.

However, he had already learnt that there was no point trying to escape in any way but the main door. He also strongly suspected that any other attempt would not only be stopped, but would cost him in relative freedom.

Personally, he didn't want to be restrained anymore than he already was, even less to be locked in a cell and truly left to rot there. After all, Vader had made it clear that he would not let him go anywhere else anytime soon. Might as well be at least comfortable and with a relative freedom, at least in terms of what he ate and did.

Speaking of food, it had been a while since he had last eaten, and he didn't know how long he had been unconscious. As if in agreement with his assessment, his stomach rumbled loudly, begging for his immediate attention.

Besides, he shrugged, one of the rules that the Alliance had taught him about detention was to eat when he could, and sleep when he could, as he didn't know when he would again.

So eat he would, and as far as ordering whatever he wanted, there was one thing in particular that he'd really like to eat right now. Standing up, he reflexively wiped the dust off his back side and headed for the door that Vader had identified as leading to the kitchenette. There, he looked around and saw that while he had a sink for the water, the only other device he could recognize was a command board of some kind. Walking closer to it, he turned it on and waited. As he had expected, it was how he could order food. He quickly surmised the main menu and touched the diner icone. He then called up the meat submenu and discovered with mix feelings that what was rare on the Alliance menu was common place on at least Vader's flagship.

He ordered a bantha steak with tubers and a glass of blue milk, and a piece of rhyscate. He ordered the latter only because he could and, even if he ended up not eating it, it would still be a waste of resources for the Empire.

Of course, he conceded while he waited for his meal, that would barely have any effect on the incommensurable resources of the evil Empire, but still, if only for the principle, he would do his best to be an abusive guest.

He was still waiting for his meal when he realized that the kitchenette was opening into an adjoining room. Curious, he leaned away from the wall and stepped closer to the junction between the two rooms. He winced despite himself when the lights of the unknown room turned on by themselves – and gaped in spite of himself at the sight of the holovid system that was inset in the opposite wall.

Even in the meeting rooms of the Rebellion, they never had that kind of installation – the latest technology, he realized as he stepped closer. He was then tempted to turn it on, he really was, but he decided to resist that temptation, simply to miff Vader by his refusing his 'treats'. When he walked closer to the wall beside the screen, a hidden panel slid open and revealed a collection of data disks unlike any he had ever seen. Holomovies, he realized. Hundreds and hundreds of holomovies.

He then noticed that the holovid was set in front of a comfortable-looking couch and he understood that the new room was a lounge or a living room of some sort.

Slowly, he stepped closer to the rich-looking furniture, taking in the rest of the room. By the time he was done, he grimaced at Vader's lame attempt to lure him to the lush lifestyle that he could offer.

He began to turn away from it all and meant to return to the kitchenette – when another hidden door slid open upon his walking in front of it. Cautious yet morbidly curious as well, he stepped inside the new room.

The lights turned on yet again by themselves and he saw that he had found a large training room, complete with training lightsaber, practice droid, and floor mats. There was even an obstacle course held against the higher ceiling; he understood that it could be lowered in place for him to reproduce the exercises that he had performed on Dabogah. Then, he noticed the boxy structure at the end of the room, tucked in the far corner as if it had been a last-minute addition. He walked closer, lifted the handle that obviously gave him access to it, and gaped.

A state-of-the-art flight simulator!

Apparently, Vader didn't want him to become rusty during his detention, either as a Jedi or as a pilot. He had even programmed the T-65 Incom X-wing as the default model of the sim!

Utterly befuddled by the resources that Vader had packed in those quarters just for his benefit, Luke sat down in the simulator as it was the one place he felt comfortable because it reminded of his own x-wing.

Still, either those 'gifts' were one of the most obvious attempts he had ever seen at trying to lure someone through material means, something that Vader already knew didn't work with him, or else the Sith truly meant to keep him safe and... on the sidelines, for lack of a better word.

He also clearly had the intention to help him further his Jedi training, at least if the books and training room were anything to go by. However, would he truly let him be a Jedi? Or would he try to lure him even more subtly to the Dark Side?

And if the Sith knew that material luxury would not sway him, then why go to all the necessary lengths to still provide him with those? Unless he simply wanted him to be comfortable and, as long as he was acquiring one of those, why not install the best for his 'precious' son? It kinda made sense, Luke conceded, yet he was still not ready to give Vader any opening in his heart or mind.

He would 'not' give him that kind of opening.

Hence, for now, he'd only take care of his basic needs: he would eat, he would train and keep himself in good shape, and he'd sleep, but other than that...

And he'd need to shower, he pointed out to himself after he caught a whiff of an unusual smell that seemed to come from his clothes. Thinking of which, he hadn't used the 'fresher yet. He slowly pulled himself out of the brand new simulator, walked back the way he had come in – when he noticed a door in the side wall.

He investigated it – he had checked out all the others, so why not that one, he reasoned with himself. As usual, the lights turned on the moment that he stepped through the sliding door. This time, he found out that his fresher wasn't a small cubicle like he was used to. Instead, he had a deep bath tub – a tub! – set against one side wall of the corridor-like room. There was also a large rain-water like shower – a water shower and not a sonic one! – as well as a door on both ends of the room, past the rest of the installations that included a towel warmer, an individual sauna, as well as a luxurious-looking sink and counter.

Not surprisingly, the second door led back into the bedroom.

It also made sense since it allowed him to move from one room to another without detour. After all, after changing into training clothes, he'd prefer to go to straight into the training room, and, after the training, he'd be ready to hit the shower without delay. As for the evening, any direct path that would allow him to crash on the bed as quickly as possible would be most welcome.

Especially since he would train probably at least as much as when he had been Dagobah. If his short sojourn with Master Yoda had taught him anything other than how to use the Force, it was that a day of Jedi training was thoroughly exhausting.

For now, though, he was still hungry. He returned to the kitchenette through his bedroom, only to find out that his meal had not only been delivered but had also turned cold. Oh well, he shrugged and except for the cake, threw the plate and untouched food in the dispenser. He'd just order again.

Whereas he had always refrained from wasting good food either on Tatooine or in the Alliance, he had no such compunction with imperial food. Besides, it would go to waste anyway; he had unfortunately seen with his own eyes – and smelled with his nose –that the imperial garbage compactors were filled with even untouched food.

While waiting for his new plate, he returned in the bedroom and checked out the leather-bound books that were gathered in a large bookcase.

This time, he made sure that he would be near when his main plate would arrive.

He was starving.

* * *

The next day, Luke awoke by himself, with no alarm or Dark Lord to rouse him out of his state of deep sleep.

He still woke up in the wee hours of the morning, as his farmboy internal clock was wont to do whenever he fell back on a free schedule. Nearly sixteen years of getting up with the first sun was not an easy-to-lose habit, no matter how many planets you lived on, or even the number of ships you had lived aboard.

He checked his clock, which was set on Coruscant standard time. It was a little after o-six hundred, which meant that, according to his inner clock, which was still set on Alderaan's time – the Alliance's standard time - he had slept for about five hours.

However, unlike the last time that he had woken up in his new quarters, he remembered perfectly where he was and why. He hadn't gone to bed before he had made sure to explore every inch of his golden prison, reminding himself every then and again that despite the posh appearances, he was still in Vader's claws and aboard the Executor.

Therefore, his first reflex upon awakening was to scan his surroundings with the Force in hopes that something – anything – had changed.

Unfortunately, it hadn't.

He was still locked up tight in quarters adjoining those of the Dark Lord of the Sith who also happened to be his father – his patronizing father who believed that he knew better than anyone what was best for his son.

His presence aboard was still a complete secret; while Luke would gladly ruin that part of the plan if it meant alerting his allies as to his whereabouts, a subtle Force-warning also kept him from actually broadcasting his presence to just anyone.

Although he didn't agree with Vader's method to keep him safe, he was still aware that there was a bounty on his dead head – most probably one that had been placed there by the Emperor through Black Sun.

At least, that's what he believed but Vader had insisted that the Emperor wanted him alive, not dead. Luke could only shudder at that prospect. After all, if his father – evil, cruel and heartless terror of the galaxy - was but the other's gofer, then how far worse was the Emperor if he could submit, even from a distance, the monster that was Vader?

No matter what he thought of his father, Luke was adamant that he never wanted to find out if the Sith was telling the truth or not about Emperor Palpatine.

The implications of the truth were just too horrible to consider, let alone to take any risks with.

Hence, after pondering that topic yet again, he finally stood up from the comfortable bed, stretched for long minutes, taking the time – that was all he had anyway – to awaken each and every muscle that he would work out today. Once he was done, he removed his pajama top and headed toward the in-built drawer where he had seen short clothes that would do perfectly for a demanding training session.

He changed into those, moved into the kitchenette to order a breakfast, and then, while he waited for his food, turned on the holovid station on a news channel.

Since he only received imperial-fleet endorsed channels, the news were thoroughly biaised, painting a portrait of a benevolent Empire that was just, fair, and taking care of the population. However, thanks to his rebellion background, Luke could read between the lines and interpret the events the way that they had truly happened.

As for when a rebel attack was reported – unprovoked and savage, of course, he could readily imagine what it had really been about and how it had been supposed to process before it had gotten out of hand. Like usual, the imperials' counter-attack had probably not taken the nearby civilians into account.

He ate his cereals while listening to more mundane news about the lives of this or that rich citizen that had the Emperor's favor, snorting at times when the stupidities were too much to listen to without reacting. He went through his eggs and protein-rich beans, not caring about the weather forecasts of different places in the Core, and then munched on fruits and drank herb tea while catching the political segment of the news reel. He scoffed, disgusted by what was considered fair nowadays by those who didn't know any better.

In truth, this segment was only a recap of what either a useful industrialist or a powerful lobbyist had gotten from the Emperor or his circle of close advisors. During that time, what was truly useful to the population was not even considered worth the time or effort.

Force, if he didn't know about the dangers of anger and frustration, listening to those news reels would more than suffice to turn him to the Dark Side.

Sickened to the heart, he turned the display off and brought his plate to the drop where it would disappear, never to be seen again.

Calm, he exhorted himself. He had to remain calm. It was useless to do anything else. Besides, 'he' was useless to change anything right now, but someday, he promised himself. Someday, he would find a way to help all those unknown victims that suffered in secret from what actually made the imperial-approved news.

Still focusing only on his breathing, he headed toward the training room and proceeded to reproduce all the exercises that Yoda had used to train him into the burgeoning Jedi that he had become.

He didn't come out of there until several hours later, when he Felt that he had done all he could for the day.

TBC

* * *

Well? How was that?

If you want more, you know what to do:) And if you don't want more because of bad characterizations, lack of detail, or anything that could help me improve this story into a more edible read, I'd still like to know why (via private messaging if you prefer). However, if you simply don't like _this kind_ of story, then don't worry. To each our own :)

Have a great week-end everyone, and remember, reviews are very precious gifts all year long :D Moreover, this time, they might make me work on this story first for the next year or so ;P So? Will you vote for it? I hope so!


	3. Chapter 3

Incarnations

By Mireille

2006/2012

* * *

Previously: Vader captured Luke and, other than locking him in his personal quarters and in posh rooms prepared for Luke's long sojourn with him, the Sith lord doesn't impose himself over his son. Except for wanting to protect him from Palpatine, Vader doesn't want Luke any ill will. Luke, however, is not convinced of that.

* * *

Good evening everyone :)

First of all, thanks to everyone who commented the first posts and/or voted for this story. I'm glad you enjoy it this much already and I hope that your fun will continue with the next addition :)

In answer to the anonymous review of Stargirl, what did you mean by the too amazing factor of the room? Don't you think that given Vader's resources, he would do any less for his son if he wanted to make him as comfortable as possible? I do :) He also had his droids build it over more than a year, so he had time to do it in secret. Anyway, I hope it won't keep you from enjoying the rest of this story :) Thanks for your comment!

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Here is the third part of the fifth of eleven stories that I feel like writing, but can't decide which to work on first. Can you help me figure out that answer?

Important! After the fourth part, I will close the first round of the poll and focus/update only the winning story for the next year or so... The other stories will remain available but incomplete until I have finished the winner of your collective choice :)

Said winner will be the story with the most returning readers, reviews and/or alerts and comments through PMs. So, if you like this one, or if this new chapter suddenly makes this story the most interesting of the list, leave a review to vote for it as a whole :) You can also vote more than once for your favorite using PMs ;P

As of today, the vote is heading in the following direction :

1 - Unexpected (478 points)

2- Incarnations (295 points)

3 - The balance of the Force and Deceit are ex aequo (222 points)

In fifth and sixth positions are An Unfortunate Blessing and It is Useless to Resist.

If you want to try and change the direction of the vote after reading this new part, you know what to do :)

Thanks for your help! Hope you enjoy this new post as well!

If you do, please, share your thoughts :D

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Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belong to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

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Part 3: A welcomed friend

Twenty-three days into his captivity, Luke Skywalker was already falling into a rote, and quite honestly, he was quickly becoming bored by some elements of his self-made schedule.

In fact, he had even already begun to scan the channels for anything to watch other than imperial news, only to find out that there actually _was_ worse than the news. Indeed, what t_hey_ called entertainment sometimes was so petty and superficial that he could barely even skim over it without feeling sick to the stomach. Still, when there was only _that_ to watch, and that he had done everything else that he had planned for the day, he was really beginning to run out of ideas to diversify his long days of enforced solitude.

Of course, he could always give up on his resolve to ignore Vader and contact _him_ for company, but that would be like admitting defeat and he refused to give the pleasure of victory to his nemesis. He was already beaten enough as it was without any need for the Sith to rub it in his face.

Hence, on the morning of that particular day, after he had completed a first round of light exercises and stretching, he ate breakfast while flipping through a stack of the disks that he had found earlier in his captivity. Yes, he argued with his disagreeing self , he was _that_ desperate enough to look at them in hopes of finding something interesting that he would be able to watch in the evening. Slowly but surely, though, he realized that what he had assumed were regular holomovies were, in fact, senate recordings.

There were also lots, and lots of senate recordings, as well as a few other types of recordings, but nothing as elaborate as the holomovies that he had first expected to find.

He didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed by that discovery.

Was Vader trying to make a politician out of him? If so, then he had the wrong rebel leader in captivity, he grimaced, thinking of his friend, Leia. Still, he mused when he realized that those were records of the old senate, they could be _really_ interesting even to him. After all, they were not from the time that the Empire had muzzled the politicians, but rather from before... when the democracy had still been alive.

No matter his innate dislike of politics, he decided that he should and would check them out. Perhaps he could learn something out of them, he reflected while he tried to remember everything that his best friend had tried to teach him about the former politicians and why she inspired herself from them. The old senate couldn't possibly be pro-imperial, could it?

He shrugged to himself, and then decided that there was only one way to find out, but not right now.

Right now, it was time to work on his dueling skills even though he didn't have his lightsaber anymore. Vader had provided him with wooden staffs of various lengths that were sufficient for his needs.

* * *

Elsewhere aboard Executor, a meeting was coming to an end for the admiral and generals of its various units. Even though the information they had provided their supreme commander with, they were still rather eager to leave his ominous presence.

Darth Vader, for his part, felt pleased with himself. Twenty-three days after capturing his son, everything was as it always was, and on both sides of the divide to boot.

On the imperial side, the pilots, the stormtroopers and the ground army were maintaining their skills at peak efficiency while waiting for the next assault, some of them training while others rested. Meanwhile, the mechanics and technicians were making sure that the various forms of technology aboard Executor were performing as if they were new. As for the fleet in general, it was running smoothly, its ships and squadrons reporting as per schedule while accomplishing their various missions and tasks.

At the same time, across the divide of space and philosophy, nothing much had changed in the Rebellion camp. The newest intel confirmed that there had been rebel sightings on Bith, and, of course, Luke's friends were still expected to show up on Tatooine. Since he was still allegedly chasing after his elusive son, he had posted spies there so that he could be warned when the rebel rescue team sent after Han Solo would finally arrive.

On the other hand, there were also intercepted rebel messages that intimated that they had yet again lost trace of their Jedi hero. According to what they could crack of those latest messages, the rebels still didn't know if the youth had disappeared of his own volition or not.

Then, of course, there were the repeated reports of the rebel fleet moving toward an unknown rendezvous point. However, it was not deemed worrisome for now, at least not by his master.

Still, it was clear that, for the first time since its inception, the Rebellion was regrouping in one massive strike force. However, where and when that would happen remained unknown.

In fact, it was such a well-kept secret that even Luke's recovered astromechanic hadn't known those details.

Luke's droid, he paused while he set his datapad back on the meeting table... It was not any droid but Padme's and his former astromech, Artoo-Deetoo.

The Force was full of surprises, he mused next with irony. When he had read the report about the dismantled droid, he had been shocked to read his serial number. First and foremost, he hadn't excepted such an old droid to still be in function, but he had also had no idea what _had_ become of his mechanical friend.

Indeed, after the events that had followed the last time that he had seen the robot, on... the birth place of Darth Vader, he hadn't known what had happened to his stalwart droid, nor had he really bothered to find out, he had to admit.

Back then, he had had other concerns in mind, not to mention that he had become part droid himself... and then he had completely forgot about the droid and his former life when his new life had become an unending series of space and ground battles, lightsaber duels, strategy and political meetings, and, of course, of grueling training sessions under Sidious' unforgiving tutelage whenever he had been on Coruscant.

Flying in nothing but TIE fighters or large shuttles had then finished erasing whatever memories he might have retained of ever flying in tandem with a droid, let alone having a special relationship with an artificial individual.

Granted, the first times that he had flown without his usual companion, he had felt nostalgia, and every time that he had crossed path with a protocol droid, he had remembered the one that he had built for his mom. However, that occasional loss of focus hadn't last long, and especially not after his new master had grown aware of it and had increased the punishing part of his training until Vader had not been able to feel anything but fear, anger and hatred, the only true allies of the Sith. Any mere thought of his mother or his wife had also stoked his fires so much that, for a while, Palpatine had had to restrain him from strangling his men when he couldn't bear them even though they hadn't done anything to displease him.

Anyhow, it now turned out that Anakin's droid was still running around. Even better, Artoo hadn't undergone any memory wipe in more than thirty years, or so the techs had gathered during their initial examination of the droid's memory banks.

The moment that he had first read about that tidbit of valuable information, Vader had realized that Artoo's memory banks held the best kept secrets of his past and he had strictly prohibited the techs from altering the droid's memory in any way while they retrieved any and all information from the last four years, but no further.

And now that that operation was complete, he had ordered them to partly re-assemble the droid, just enough for it to be repairable once again before delivering all its parts to his anteroom. He had just received the confirmation on his datapad, which was why he was headed back to his quarters for the moment.

* * *

When he entered his deserted room, the silver box and white and blue shape of his ex-ally stood in stark contrast against the black backdrop of his meditation chamber and its black-tiled surroundings. He lifted both heavy elements with the Force and carried them past his reception room and into his personal quarters. He set them down just outside of his son's door and crouched down to study the content of the box.

Just like he had ordered, all the main components were still out of the droid, making it nothing more than an empty shell. However, all the basic wiring and spaces that would be required to fit the pieces in him were already installed inside him, making it possible for a mere mechanic to fix him. Artoo's memory cards were also untouched, if disconnected and removed from the robot.

Then, he settled in to wait for the opportune moment to transfer the droid into his son's quarters without risking a run-in with his still wary child. He had promised him that he would not infringe on his privacy without his request; he would not give the boy any reason to doubt his word by being caught inside his bedroom without prior agreement.

While he waited, he wondered yet again if Luke was mechanically-inclined like him and would appreciate having a mechanical puzzle to solve to spend his idle time, or if he was more the intellectual type like his mother. Still, given his background as a Tatooine moisture farmer, he suspected that the child did have some experience with faulty machines, thus should be able to fix his droid friend.

Then, once fixed, Anakin's former droid would guide the boy toward the tales of the past and from there, toward his father and who he used to be.

Artoo would also provide companionship for the youth, which Luke was slowly beginning to miss more than he knew. Even when keeping himself busy, his son was growing mentally restless, too many ideas and thoughts rattling around his brain instead of being shared with friends or even voiced out loud.

Still, the trick in putting those two troublemakers together was to make sure that Artoo wouldn't be able to break through the suite's security and help Luke escape what even the Force couldn't manipulate, as proven by the boy's various attempts to escape since he had arrived. Normally, removing almost all the tools hidden in Artoo would suffice, but remembering some of his adventures with the resourceful bucket of bolts, he knelt back down in front of him and ran a second examination of his own.

He thus removed the droid's fire thrusters, his mechanical pincer, and even his welding arm. Although low in power, he knew better than to take _any_ chances with the intelligent machine.

Oce he was satisfied that nothing was left to aid his son to escape, he sat back in a nearby armchair and focused on the sight of the stars that lay outside of his floating fortress; focusing on his breath, he immersed himself in the Force.

Since he was the one shielding his son's unique Force signature and effect on the fabric of the universe, he could '_feel_' him with barely a moment of focus. Hence, he nodded in approval when he Felt the boy's Light intensify and grow in strength and stamina while the Jedi went through some kind of Force-levitating exercise that pitted his muscles against gravity and his own weight.

Luke was not only strong but also very intelligent and a fast learner. Vader could feel that the child was not using any knowledge other than what Yoda had already taught him, and yet, he was perfecting the technique even without guidance of any kind. Even better, he was growing in strength by even greater leaps and bonds that the dark lord of the Sith had expected.

No wonder that the child had been able to hold his own against him not once but three times. Indeed, he now understood how Luke had first managed to block and resist him even without actual training, and then how he had held his own against him with only a few weeks of formal training under his belt.

It was slowly dawning on him that while the prophecy of the Chosen One stated that he'd bring balance to the Force, and that everyone had expected '_him_' to balance the Force – an expectation that had partly led him to hatred when the pressure had been too much to bear during the war – perhaps said _balance_ was not to be brought _about_ by him after a fight, but to be born _from_ him and into the form of his extremely powerful and incorruptible son.

After all, the boy was most definitely more powerful than any Jedi he had ever known or heard of, and that even though he didn't have a single midichlorian in his blood.

Now there went the theory of the midichlorians carrying the Force, he reflected, twisting his lips at the irony of the situation. There he had been, believed to be the Chosen One because of his high midichlorian count when, in fact, it had only been because he had been created by the Force itself. However, if his theory was right, then he also represented the end of an era of Jedi; with him could end the erroneous beliefs and endless wars between Darkness and Light as, once Palpatine – also a remnant of the old era - would be removed, there would only be him and his son left.

They would be the only remaining incarnations of the Force, he of the Dark Side and Luke, of its Light Side.

More importantly, though, as Father and Son, and as equals despite being Sith and Jedi, they would never fight against each other ever again. Perhaps then, he reflected wistfully, there would really be _balance_, and a new era of Peace and Justice would finally begin.

That dream – or was it a Vision – of his was so insistent and demanding his complete devotion to it that it could only come true. He was certain of _this_.

It _had_ to be true; it had to be a Vision of what was to happen, as well as how to make it happen.

He was still pondering the latest when he felt his son disappear in his bathroom. A few seconds later, he knew that he was in the shower and that he would not be coming out from under it for at least half an hour.

Careful to conceal his presence from the blissful youth, he quickly lifted his gift for him with the Force and pushed it into the boy's room and by his carefully-made bed.

He then withdrew and sealed the outer door once again, more for his son's protection than anything else.

After that, he returned to the rest of his normal duties, confident that, although this change in Luke's living conditions had not been part of his initial plans, it would still play in both of their favor.

* * *

After he had finally left the training room, drenched in sweat and his muscles trembling slightly from the over-exertion he had put them through, the young Jedi went straight into the fresher and its decadent shower.

No matter how tired he was, the fact that water – real and hot water – ran down his body always refreshed him in ways that he couldn't explain; he just really, greatly enjoyed that luxury. But then, he conceded, as a desert womprat, he would never tire of the sublime sensation of feeling the pearls of water running down his naked body and through his strands of hair. No matter how efficient they were, sonic showers just couldn't beat the real deal.

Therefore, it was only when the water began to turn slightly colder that he began to consider leaving the watery heaven. He had learnt that, although he was not _limited_ per se in regards to hot water, his quarters' water tank could still run out of warmed water if he abused of it, and abuse of it, he most-certainly did.

It was, after all, the first time in his life that he had access to that much water, and he had not outgrown yet the novelty of the experience.

Worse, he was even becoming addicted to it, but he restrained himself to showering only after his last training session of the day. He just felt uneasy wasting that much water more than once a day. After all, so many people all over the galaxy could barely get enough water to remain alive from day to day that it was practically a crime to use it the way he did.

While he rubbed his hair dry with a towel, he dimly wondered what his uncle would say if he were in a similar position.

'He'd try to stock it up and sell it to the highest bidder,' he answered himself and smiled fondly at the memory of the man. Although hardened by Tatooine's harsh environment, Owen had still been kind-hearted enough to take him in as if he were his own. While he basked in memories of his few happy moments with the gruff man, he tried to imagine just how difficult it had been for him to make the life-changing decision of caring for the son of the curse of the galaxy?

He could only figure out that it was far from easy and he silently thanked him for making the choice he had made. Now he understood why he had kept his parents' past a secret. What else could he have done when a Dark Lord of the Sith could claim and corrupt a naive child if the man ever found out or even merely _felt_ the truth?

Thinking back on the lies that he had been told about the time before he had been born, Luke focused on finally understanding the situation from his uncle's point of view. His uncle... Did that mean that he was his father's brother? Or his mother's? Or had it been his aunt Beru that had been related to either of his parents? The only thing that he knew so far was that none of his caretakers had been a Skywalker, so that could only mean that they were related to his mother, yet... it didn't _feel_ right.

Furthermore, hadn't Obi-Wan said that his uncle hadn't agreed with his father's ideals? That Owen thought that Anakin should have stayed on Tatooine and not gotten involved? Did that mean that his mother was also from Tatooine? And since Ben had only ever mentioned the conflict of opinions between his uncle and his father, did it mean that his uncle was his mother's overprotective brother who hadn't agreed with her choice of lover?

Once again, the thought felt absolutely wrong so Luke surmised that the family bond between his uncle and him was not related to his mother.

His father, then? But if so, why hadn't Owen born the name Skywalker? Unless he had changed it to protect the boy put in his care?

Unless, he paused and leaned his hands on the dark marble vanity while he stared at the large mirror in front of him and into his own eyes, unless his aunt and uncle hadn't been actually related to his parents in any way and had merely taken officious titles to further the masquerade...

Yet, from what little Obi-Wan had revealed, his father and his uncle had apparently interacted together in the past... before Anakin had become Darth Vader. Since the two men seemed to share just about as many points of interest than Luke did with his uncle, namely none, the two older men couldn't possibly have been friends.

That only left one other possibility: they _had_ been family.

From what he remembered of his opinionated uncle, Luke could readily imagine him criticizing anything and everything his then young father chose that didn't sit well with Owen's beliefs. However, for Owen to believe that Anakin should have stayed on Tatooine, the two of them had to have harvested the desert together. It had to mean that while Owen had been content with that prospect, Anakin had dreamt of other skies and realities.

Like Luke used to do.

While the similarity between himself and his father rang true in the Force, the rest of his scenario didn't. Had Obi-Wan lied then? He wondered uneasily. But to what end? What could possibly be gained by not telling him the truth about his father's interactions with Owen?

He closed his eyes against his confused reflection and turned away, sighing in mild frustration. Although he had learnt about the truth regarding his father, there was still much he had yet to uncover - if he ever would, of course.

After throwing the damp towel and sodden training clothes in the chute that allowed him to have them cleaned and returned to him, Luke reached out to turn off the light even as he stepped back into his room - and stopped short in shock at the sight that greeted him.

"Artoo?" he gaped and was almost instantly kneeling in front of the small droid; he quickly surveyed his condition, shaking his head at his state of disrepair.

It was not really encouraging. His friend was turned off, and the study of the box that had come in with Artoo revealed why: most of his droids' main systems were still in that box instead of inside him. However, the box had come with an emergency repair kit, as well as a few other tools that would prove useful to repair his mechanical friend.

"Don't worry, Artoo," he said out loud – the second words he had uttered out loud in quite a while. "I'll get you back in shape in no time."

He then sat in front of the inert droid, pulled the emergency repair kit open and used its cleaning pick to pry Artoo's outer shell open.

While he immersed himself in the world of wires and components that made his little friend who he was, Luke completely forgot his previous intentions of eating dinner, or even of checking out one of the alleged-Jedi book card that had been nagging at him for a few days.

He even didn't ponder much the fact that if Artoo had been delivered to him, it meant that Vader – or another droid - had visited his room during the day. Normally, that unpleasant surprise would have greatly bothered him, but now, with the prospect of finally having someone else to talk to and argue with other than himself, every iota of his attention was focused on Artoo's innards and how he could fix him.

"What did they do to you, Artoo?" he asked the droid when he realized that if not for his presence in those quarters – or Vader's intervention – the little astromech would probably be good for the scrap heap now that imperial intel was done with him. They had obviously been thorough in their study of him, pulling him apart so that not even Artoo's stubborn streak could keep them from retrieving any and all information that he could give them about the Alliance.

And yet, they had then put him back together, at least as far as his outer shell and more complex wiring was concerned. From what Luke knew of Imperial intel, they never bothered doing that unless they meant to integrate the droid into the imperial service after it underwent a complete reprogramming and memory wipe.

It was clearly not the case this time. Luke pondered that occurrence for a moment and reached the conclusion that his father simply knew how precious the little droid was to him and had decided to be merciful with his mechanical friend... or could it be more complex than that?

Was Vader, or intel under his orders, somehow planning to use his friend against him, but if so, what would be the point to deliver him in parts?

No, he shook his head slowly, it wasn't a matter of spying on him; it wasn't intel's way of doing things.

Vader's, though...

The more he considered the Sith's possible motivations, the more he realized that if his estimation of Vader's physical age was correct, then that would put a younger Vader right in the era when his friend's model was in its golden age.

Indeed, Artoo was, like Threepio, a very old model of droid. Could it be that Vader somehow flew with an Artoo unit? Could he even know- "Did you know my father before he became Vader?" he suddenly frowned at the turned-off droid.

The Force was once again tickling his senses, informing him that he was on the right track of thought.

He sighed, this time in annoyance at his lack of more reliable information. Someday, perhaps, he might ask Vader all those questions he still had about his past and who he used to be. For now, though, the less he saw of the man who happened to be his genitor – as if in some twisted joke of the Force – the better he felt.

"Well, at least it wasn't a direct hit that broke you this time," he tried to joke while he studied the droid's motivator and how it fitted in with the rest of the droid's basic circuits.

Yeah, it wasn't yet another direct hit by Vader that had almost killed his droid, and yet... was the current situation truly a better turn of events than when the both of them had returned from the Death Star's trench run?

Luke didn't believe so as, after the run, the techs had been able to fix Artoo _and_ the two of them had been able to fight another day.

This time, however, Artoo would also be fixed but they wouldn't be going anywhere... or would they?

He had heard how Artoo had been able to help Leia and the others escape from Bespin by interfacing with the city's computer, and then how he had even fixed the Falcon when it had been sabotaged. Perhaps his little friend would help him out of there as well, he thought hopefully.

On the heels of that thought, though, he belatedly remembered that it was Vader's idea to allow them together once again. From what he had learnt about his father, the Dark Lord would not allow Artoo inside his cell unless he had made absolutely certain that he could not help them escape.

He was too clever for that, as Luke had reluctantly accepted after trying and failing for a third and last time to find a way out of his golden cage. Even the tools he had been given, he realized next, were not of any use other than to fix a droid.

They couldn't cut through a wall to give him access to the wires inside them, and there were no control panels to be found anywhere inside his rooms that could be hacked like he had learnt to do. As for Artoo's-

A sudden possibility occurred to him and he quickly pulled Artoo's multitool compartment open. He felt his slight hope deflate almost as soon as it had formed: Artoo's cutting saw had been removed, as had been any other tool that, even with time, could cut through metal.

"Oh, he's clever all right, huh?" he sighed in reluctant acknowledgement of the enemy's strengths. "Okay, so let's see if that will at least reactivate you." After putting the memory and program cards back in their slots, he used the mini-fuser to weld the motivator in place, careful to re-establish Artoo's connections like they used to be. He then pushed a switch and hastily pulled his hands away from the droid's innards when he whirred to life. Artoo's lights blinked and turned on at random, and then a flurry of familiar and unfamiliar sounds suddenly erupted from his speaker while his head spun left and right as if he were shaking it.

"Artoo! Artoo, it's okay, it's over! Calm down," the youth tried to reassure the clearly panicked droid. "Unless you're trying to compete with Threepio in the nervous department?" he teased him knowingly.

That got the reaction he had been hoping for and Artoo, having recognized him, locked his photoreceptor on him and blatted a raspberry that could only be translated as the droid pulling his tongue at him and blowing in both derision and aggravation.

"That's what I thought," Luke smiled at him and patted his domed head reassuringly. "How are you feeling?"

Artoo's colorful expletives left little doubt as to the frustration and fright he had been through.

"I know, I know, buddy. I'm sorry you were caught up in that... disaster," he finished through gritted teeth. "At least," he huffed next, "he gave you back to me, or did he give me back to you? Anyway, it's a good thing, isn't it?"

Artoo seemed to consider, and then produced a shrill noise and resumed throwing accusations and insults at the enemy.

"What? Oh yeah, sorry, you're not quite up to specs yet. I only managed to reactivate you. Now, you can help me fix you faster." He pulled his shirt off to avoid any incidents with the long sleeves, wearing only his tank top to tinker inside Artoo's components. "I was thinking about getting your actuator back in next," he said and hefted the other large part in his hands. "What do you think?"

Since it was the part that allowed Artoo to turn his _thoughts_ into actions, the droid was naturally in complete agreement with him about his next step. He even scolded him for teasing him meanly like that.

"Okay, okay, sorry. It was too tempting to resist and I haven't had anyone to tease in almost a month, so..."

Artoo told him in no uncertain terms that he'd get back at him for that.

Luke snickered at him in amusement, and then leaned closer and wrapped his arms around the stout droid and hugged him as much as he could. "It's really good to have you here, Artoo. I think I was going crazy, being on my own all the time."

Since he was actually hugging him right now, Artoo couldn't argue with that conclusion.

Luke chuckled again at the droid's comment and leaned away. "Right. So," he began next while he studied the actuator and compared it to the empty spots inside the droid, "would you, by any chance, know why Vader spared you? I mean, from what I can see, they were done with you. They could have scrapped you, or integrated you in their droid pool, yet he saved you and delivered you here. Of course, he could have merely taken pity on my growing stir-crazy, but..."

Artoo fluted a tentative answer, which had Luke straighten from his cramped position and stare in curiosity at the droid.

"You knew him before? You were his astromech as well?" So he _had_ been right yet again, Luke realized while the tingle in his spine increased in strength. There were so many questions that he could suddenly ask. So many answers that he could finally receive.

That's when a device in the box attracted his attention: a translation device for binary codes!

He swiftly dug it out of the other parts that would eventually go into Artoo, and then connected it to Artoo's ports. He was about to ask a new question when it suddenly occurred to him that Vader could still have manipulated his droid, modifying him so that he could tell him the lies that he didn't want to hear from Vader himself.

Yet, that, too, felt safe. If he could trust the Force, which was _talking_ to him even more than before, as well as more clearly now, then it was telling him that Artoo would tell him the truth.

He was not a subtle ploy from Vader's part to turn him to his side.

Finally, he would get answers! That was what he could believe in and he silently thanked the Force for this gift despite the circumstances in which it was granted.

"All right, little guy, I want to know everything. I know that he is my father, Anakin Skywalker. How did you meet him? How was he when you first met him? And what happened to him to turn him into... a Sith?"

At first, Artoo objected to his request, saying that he wasn't a snitch like Threepio and that he would not betray the trust of the late vice-roy Organa who had known that he would never talk, hence hadn't erased his memory of the truth.

However, when Luke dangled the threat of not installing the actuator for as long as he didn't cooperate, the rotund astromech gave in and began his storytelling.

Thanks to the translator that had a vocal function, Luke was able to proceed with the rest of the repairs while listening to the story of his father's past. He asked several questions when the details were fuzzy in his mind's eye, but otherwise, he listened in rapt attention as Artoo told him the story of a slave-boy-turned-Jedi and an elected Queen-turned-senator.

His parents.

He smiled when he realized just how like him his father had been when younger, he smirked when Artoo retold the details of his parents' star-crossed romance – at least what he had witnessed himself – and he winced at the details of the clone wars that his father had witnessed firsthand.

Then, Artoo saw less and less of his master because the droid remained on Coruscant and left him with his pregnant wife, and the last encounter that Artoo had in his memories was when Anakin had become Darth Vader but hadn't had his accident yet.

It had also been the last time that he had seen his mother, Padme, alive.

Luke, who had picked up a new piece to insert, had become quiet and pensive while he had listened to the last events surrounding his father' fall to the Dark Side. He still didn't know how it had happened, or why, but he understood that whatever had caused it had changed the man forever.

He had even fought against Obi-Wan, the man he had confessed to thinking of as a father and brother. How had things turned this horrible for his father, his friends and his lover? How had their love been turned into hatred and anger?

"I wish I had known him back then," he finally whispered in a heartfelt confession.

His mechanical friend fluted in melancholy, agreeing that Anakin had been a great friend to have at your side.

'And a cunning warrior,' Obi-Wan had said when he had voiced a similar regret while still on Tatooine. Yeah, Luke agreed in silence, _that_ part he could not only easily imagine but even _knew_ from experience; this part of the man hadn't changed in the least and had perhaps even developed and improved over time.

Now, if only that other part of Anakin, the caring and loving part, could also still be alive, perhaps there could be a way that this forced captivity could become Luke's greatest blessing yet.

"Do you think that he can still be saved?" He asked his friend.

This time, Artoo didn't have any answer for him.

* * *

TBC

Well? How was that? How did you like Luke's discovery of what the 'movies' were really about? And what about Vader's reaction to the discovery of Artoo's identity? Then, of course, what did you think of the L/R2 scene :) And how about the revelation of the idea behind the title of this story?

If you want more, you know what to do:) And if you don't want more because of bad characterizations, lack of detail, or anything that could help me improve this story into a more edible read, I'd still like to know why (via private messaging if you prefer). However, if you simply don't like this 'kind' of story because it's not your style, then don't worry. To each our own :)

Have a great week everyone, and remember, reviews are very precious gifts all year long :) Moreover, this time, they might make me work on this story first for the next year or so ;P So? Will you vote for it? I hope so!


	4. Chapter 4

Incarnations

By Mireille

2006/2012

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Good afternoon everyone! First of all, thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story's last post! Your comments really meant a lot to me!

Anonymous guest, while the last part was not L/V heavy, it is a L/V story and so, they are going to interact '_a lot_' through it all, being almost the only characters of the story :) Hope you'll continue to have fun, and thanks for the comment :)

Thanks as well for the favorites and alerts. I still hope to one day hear your thoughts in more details :)

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_Previously_: Vader captured Luke but didn't threaten him or harm him in any way. Instead, other than locking him in posh rooms, he allowed him to figure out that, other than protecting him from Palpatine, Vader doesn't want him any ill will. In fact, he wants him to become a Jedi master… so that he can, one day, heal him. However, Vader doesn't share yet that last part of his plan. To break his son's enforced and monotone solitude, he gave him back Artoo-Deetoo.

* * *

Good afternoon everyone!

Here is the fourth part of the first of eleven stories that I felt like writing, but couldn't decide which to work on first.

After a whole summer of leaving the choice up to you, my valued readers, Incarnations finished 5th. Therefore, while I will still add to this story on few occasions a year (like during vacation times), my focus will be on other stories for now. However, you know how to make me want to add more to this faster, right? ;P

Yup, you got it ;) You have to hit the button at the bottom of this post and do your reader thing :)

Please, don't hesitate to share your thoughts :D

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Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belong to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

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Part 4: Past and present secrets

Even though there were no cameras in Luke's quarters, so as to avoid anyone tapping into them if they found their circuits, Vader was still aware of his son's every move and thought.

Therefore, six days after giving Artoo back to him, he knew that recovering his droid companion had done wonders for the Jedi's general disposition while it had also allowed him to know Anakin a little better through the droid's memories of the past. .

Whereas he had made certain that none of his techs had retrieved any of his personal information from his former droid, he didn't have anything to hide from his son in that regards; he was simply waiting for the boy to open his '_door_' to him of his own volition and he figured that learning about who he used to be couldn't hurt.

While the youth had finally begun reading the Jedi books that he had left for him, and that he was learning quickly without further help from his part, Luke had yet to trust him when he promised that he only sought to protect him.

Still, he could feel his son's growing curiosity toward him, but the boy was nothing if not stubborn - but then he had known that already. Still, from the information that had been retrieved from Artoo, he had learnt a lot about Luke's years with the Rebellion as well as the kind of young man that he had grown into.

Thus, he had found out that, up until the debacle of Bespin, the boy had looked up to his father. That had given Vader hope that, with time and restraint from his part, the youth would, despite their previous encounters, grow curious enough to want to know the real him.

However, that time had obviously not come yet, or else the boy was even more stubborn than his mother - the more stubborn of their couple. However, like he had her, Vader also loved his son more than his own life and so, he reigned in his trademark impatience and forced himself to wait for as long as Luke needed.

In a way, it was almost as if he were catching up on all the patience that he hadn't had to develop as a father to a growing-up teenage boy with the Skywalker-trouble magnet genes. Smirking in amusement, he dimly wondered how it could have been if they been a normal family living on Coruscant- and shuddered at the thought of his son racing swoops in the underground levels before he was even of legal age to fly a speeder.

Hmm, he encouraged himself, perhaps the Force had known how testing that would have been and had shown mercy to the entire galaxy by separating them until Luke was old enough to be somewhat '_less_' of a troublemaker.

Or perhaps he was thinking too much of his own rambunctious nature and wrongly assumed that Luke had inherited only his adventurous spirit instead of his mother's more intellectual temper, or even a fusion of both.

Still, if the man his son had grown into was any indication, there definitely was a lot of Anakin's rebellious and restless nature in Luke, but the youth also had the thoughtfulness and caring soul that had characterized Padme so much.

As a father, he admitted to himself that he couldn't be prouder of the man that his son had grown into. He had become the Jedi that Anakin could have been if Palpatine had never entered the picture, and Vader was adamant to preserve that at all cost.

It was not only a question of using Luke's powers to heal himself, but a matter of fatherhood. He would protect Luke's Light and goodness with everything that he had, and then some.

It was the only worthy gift that he could ever give the boy and that the Jedi would accept from him.

It was the only legacy he wished to-

*Father?..' Luke's mental voice interrupted him, the boy's senses seemingly hesitant and yet still brave enough to establish contact with him.

*Yes, my son?'

*I need answers... a lot of them,' the youth answered and his frustration rang clear through the temporary bond.

* * *

In his suite, Luke closed off the tentative link he had established with Vader and continued to stare at the frozen image of his young mother when she had addressed the Senate, shortly after being sworn in as the new senator from Naboo.

His mother.

He then gazed back at the hologram that Artoo had projected of her in a whole different context, her curly hair undone for the night while she shared a quiet moment with her secret husband; the slight bulge of her stomach placed the recording during the early stages of her pregnancy.

Two images of the same woman, yet so very different from one another. And the difference was his father; he could see it clear as day now.

Indeed, no matter the years that had gone by her between the two recordings, or the very different circumstances during which the images had been taken, what had changed the most between those two moments were her eyes, and the reason for that change had been standing in front of her and besides Artoo.

His young parents had seemed so blessedly happy and in love, he reflected as he watched, yet again, the rest of the holo that showed the two lovers stand closer and share one of their undoubtedly numerous romantic moments. His father sounded so caring and... and loving with her...And Luke couldn't '_not_' know anymore.

Artoo could only tell him as much as he had been present to witness, which wasn't everything, and his little droid couldn't help him understand his father's motivations better. Not that he wanted to understand him all '_that_' much... or did he?

Did he want to find an excuse for Anakin to have turned into Darth Vader? He wondered uneasily. Or did he simply wish to know how it had happened for his father so that he could avoid any similar fate?

Yes, he encouraged himself, that was it. He only wanted to avoid falling like his father had. He most certainly never wanted to risk losing his family and future lover like Anakin had...

Sure, the future was always in motion, as Yoda had told him and like he had learnt with Bespin, but still, he had also learnt that he could change it if he learnt from the past. As for his father's past, it appeared to be filled with lessons.

Therefore, if the man would not learn from them, then at least they wouldn't go to waste on the son.

"Oh, Artoo," he sighed and slumped down to the carpeted deck until he sat beside his stout mechanical friend, "This is all so messed up... Why couldn't they live happily ever after, with me as a family? Why couldn't Father remain a Jedi?.."

Artoo fluted and his translator explained that Anakin had been convinced that he needed more power to save Padme's life.

"From what?"

"From his worst nightmare, as it turned out," Vader's deep voice unexpectedly answered and Luke practically jumped out of his skin in shock; he hadn't heard or Felt the other's arrival, so focused had he been on his thoughts.

He reflexively jumped to his feet and took two steps backward so that the couch stood between them – for what good it would do him in his armless state. "Don't scare me like that!" he rebuked his visitor vehemently.

"And you should know better than to let your anger surge like that, young Jedi."

Luke wanted to snap and tell him off his case, but he realized that it would only be yet another display of bad temper and, like it or not, Vader '_was_' right about that. Luke had to learn and control it, and especially while in the Sith Lord's presence.

Besides, hadn't '_he_' invited him here, sort of?

"I... guess you really were honest when you said that you don't want me to become like you, huh?" he conceded in the end even as he slowly walked around the couch and sat back on it.

"More than you can ever understand, Son. Now, I believe that you have questions that need answers?"

"Yes," Luke nodded, absentmindedly patting Artoo's dome when the loyal droid came to sit by him, and then paused and studied his action for a moment. "Huh, Artoo said that you used to own him. How did it happen?"

"Of course," Vader nodded calmly. "However, this is a long story. Do you mind if I sit with you?"

Caught unprepared by Vader's request – he had simply expected the Sith Lord to do as he pleased without any care about his wary disposition – Luke nodded, silently gesturing to the other end of the long couch. He was surprised to find that such a simple question had put him more at ease with the man who still inhabited his worst and frequent nightmares.

"I imagine that Artoo told you that he used to belong to your mother?"

"Yes."

"Well, the transfer of ownership happened only after we were married. Before then, and the mission that led us to see each other again, I hadn't seen either her or Artoo since our first meeting, ten years earlier. When we met again, at last, she had become a senator and needed Jedi protection once again. This time, it was because of a failed assassination attempt that hinted at a plot to kill her."

"Someone wanted to kill her?"

"Yes, and although all the evidence pointed to Count Dooku and the trade federation at the time, I now know that it was, in fact, Palpatine himself who wanted her out of the way. She was a thorn in his side, you see? As an incorruptible advocate of peace and justice, she was always opposing whatever he was trying to put in motion so as to secretly push the war further. Thus, while her death would have eliminated his problem, the peculiar circumstances would have also been a perfect catalyst to definitely kick off the civil war he required in order to push his agenda further."

Luke nodded silently in comprehension. Somehow, that kind of plotting from Palpatine's part did not surprise him, although he had never thought that he would have taken that kind of actions against his estranged mother, the wife of Anakin Skywalker, let alone before the two of them had even been married.

"Anyway, because of that situation in her life, we met again... Of course, Palpatine also had a hand in that reunion since he made certain that not only she would be assigned Jedi protectors, but that Obi-Wan and I would be chosen for the task. Throughout the years since my arrival at the Jedi temple, he had made sure to have several personal exchanges with me and so, he knew how much I always cared about her and was hoping to someday see her again."

"So his corrupting you was long in the making," Luke mused out loud.

"Indeed, which is why no one was really aware of what was going on until too late. When he managed to reunite Padme and I, our special friendship and deep caring quickly blossomed into love, which then sadly became yet another one of his tools to turn me to the Dark Side. But I digress," he shook his hand, dismissing his previous words. "This does not concern my history with Artoo-"

"No, it's all right," Luke blushed slightly when he realized how eager he had sounded to hear more from him, "As I said, I have countless questions, and you have just answered some of them. How did it happen exactly? Your turning, I mean. What else did he do and say?"

Vader seemed to slump slightly before he rested his right hand and forearm on his right thigh in an almost nonchalant way. "Through the numerous conversations I mentionned earlier, he encouraged me to nurture certain personality-traits while shunning others. Thus, after years of psychological and emotional manipulation, my unbending pride and selfish arrogance became the key that, slowly but surely, opened the doors to my illogical anger, my abject fear, and my merciless hatred. My hatred came last, though, after I lost everything that was once dear to me. From this point onward, it simply hurt less to hate those that were gone than to still care about them. As for fear, well... I was once called the Hero-with-no-fear because I recklessly jumped head first into any and every scrap I could find for myself, but the truth was... I was '_always_' afraid."

"You were afraid of yourself," Luke commented, remembering his own bold comment to Yoda that he had not been afraid, to which his master had retorted that he'd be.

Now the youth understood that the old master had meant that he'd be afraid of his own power and who he could become.

"No, and that was the problem," Vader surprisingly refuted. "No, I was afraid of never seeing my mother again, of losing Obi-Wan, or even mere Jedi colleagues. I was afraid of losing face... of losing your mother in childbirth... of not being as powerful as I could be so that I could save her. I was always imagining the worse, and Palpatine was perfectly aware of it, encouraging me to do everything necessary to prevent those fears from ever becoming reality. Of course," he sneered in disgust, "he also knew that the Jedi council and Obi-Wan would never allow me to do most of what was necessary, such as visiting my mother on Tatooine, or learning faster than they believed safe. He just cruelly milked my vulnerability for all its worth so that, the more I was restrained and negatively criticized for arguing against the Jedi's wisdom and their orders, the worse my fears and frustration grew until they eventually morphed into anger."

He remained silent for a moment, giving Luke time to process just how devious Palpatine had truly been with him.

"When I met Padme again, I had come to the wrong conclusion that that Obi-Wan was holding me back because '_he_' was afraid of my powers, just like several Council members were. Then, still during that time of emotional turmoil, I fell in love – well, I was always in love with Padme – but she finally returned that love and we decided to marry in secret. At first, it seemed like a good idea, but with the declared war against the separatists and the increased Jedi involvement in the battles, we were more apart than together..."

"It must have been so frustrating..." Luke said in compassion. After all, he was not in love with Leia and yet he really missed her presence in his life, so for Anakin to be kept away from his secret wife and lover...

"You have no idea," Vader agreed with him. "Sometimes, I was content to be on the front so that I could vent my frustration on senseless droids, and sometimes, I just wanted to leave the Jedi and only live with my wife, whom I missed so very much. However, your mother wouldn't let me '_ruin_' my life, as she said. She was adamant that not being a Jedi would be the worst decision I could ever make, and since I was opposed to her leaving her job as a senator, that left us with the upsetting status quo. It didn't help matters much."

"So, in the end, Palpatine mostly led you in a direction he wanted you to go you did the rest?"

"Not completely. He also made certain to act as if he were my friend and confidant, and I was so convinced by his pretense that I began to think of him as a wise grandfather or uncle. Although we only seemed to chat, as what kind of conversation could an adult truly hold with a ten-year-old child, but before long, he made sure to not only praise me for even my smallest of success, but he also made sure that he was the only one who did that; by the time I was eighteen years old, he had '_acknowledge_' my talents so often, always criticizing the Jedi for not doing what he believed was my due, that I was convinced as well that I should be adulated and praised by the Jedi as well."

"Thus, the emergence of the pride and arrogance you mentioned earlier."

"Yes. He took his time with that phase of his plan and it is only once I was well under the influence of those delusions of grandeur that he began to sow in me seeds of doubt regarding the Jedi's '_wisdom_' and to hint that there were other ways to use the Force than what they taught. At the time, I thought that he was talking about the Gray Paladins, whose fighting and living style did seem better suited to my volatile temper, but now, I know better."

"He was hinting at the Sith, of course."

"Yes, but back then, I never even Felt that he was using the Force, nor did the Jedi Council. He fooled even Yoda himself even though they were often face to face; that's how skilled he was and still is," he stated and gazed meaningfully at his son.

Luke nodded in comprehension. Underestimating Palpatine was like signing its own death warrant, if not of his body, then of his soul.

"When I understood that he was the Sith we were looking for, it was too late. He had already intimated he could help me harness the power to save Padme's life, whom I saw dying during childbirth in a Force Vision. It was the same kind of Vision than the one I had had regarding my mother's... death just before it had happened. I didn't want to lose Padme the way I had lost my mom. As a result, and even though I knew that it was wrong, I joined him... I killed the Jedi master that had defeated him and I pledged my allegiance to the revealed Sith master..."

"That...," Luke half-whispered in horror, "I bet your Visions were his doings, too."

"Oh, I have no doubt that they were," Vader conceded easily. "I've had a lot of time pondering their circumstances and I know how easy it would have been for him to manipulate the events surrounding my mother's death. As for Padme's... I have since learnt that insinuations of possible futures can lead someone to do just what was required to make that future happen. In my case, by trying to avoid it, I actually caused it."

"How?" the youth frowned. "If Mom died after giving birth to me, how could that be-?"

"I wanted so much to save her life that, when Sidious - his Sith name is Darth Sidious - confirmed that the power to save your mother laid with the Dark Side but also in more powers than even he had at that moment, I forgot everything I had ever been warned about in regards to the evil power and opened myself completely to it, making sure not to restrain it in any way... Because of my worsening arrogance and pride, the effects of the broken floodgates were almost instantaneous. I... I completely lost control of myself and my true goals... and I attacked both Padme and Obi-Wan... I provoked your premature birth, and since your mother had not been checking with medics so as to keep her pregnancy as secret as possible, there were... complications. I'm sorry, Luke... There is not a day that goes by anymore without my regretting my actions that day."

Luke's eyes had filled with tears throughout the past minutes, incredulous and horrified by what his father had just revealed to him. Vader had... what?..

"I wished to save her and, if only I had not allowed my fears to govern me that day, she would have had all the necessary check-ups before her labor began... You would have known at least her, and she would still be alive today. So, yes, by trying to avoid my Vision, I made my worst fear come true."

Luke couldn't talk, could only shake his head in silent disbelief. He would have even resumed her less-caring attitude toward the man if not for a voice - or was it a memory? - that seemed to drift from his very core before settling in his heart and soul. 'There is still good in him...'

"Did... did you regret them as well that day?" he finally asked in an attempt to test what he could Feel but still had a difficult time integrating.

"I..." Vader hesitated and seemed to wilt inwardly. "When I finally learnt of her fate, I was destroyed in every remaining way possible."

"What do you mean?"

"That day... was Darth Vader's true day of birth. Before my duel with Obi-Wan, I had been falling but I still felt regrets for what I had to do. I could still shed tears of sorrow for my unforgivable crimes. However, after the combined loss of my health, my beloved, and my family-to-be, I truly became Darth Vader... and I'll spare you the horrors of my personal waking Hell."

"Yet you perpetrated all those ensuing horrors willingly. How could that be a waking Hell for you?"

"At the time, I admit, it wasn't, but now..."

"Ah, because of your alleged change," Luke frowned and his wariness returned despite his burgeoning relief that there '_seemed_' to be some Anakin left in Vader; his earnestness did Feel real anyway. Still, that didn't change who Vader was nowadays, or what he had done to him and now, even his mother - the man's own lover!... Besides, after what he had been told about Palpatine, he would most certainly not trust him that easily. "I'm sorry, but after everything that happened between us and what you just said about you and mom, do you really expect me to believe that you've had a change of heart? I'm not that stupid, sorry."

"Even if '_you_' were the key to that change you can't believe in?" Vader retorted quietly, his demeanor anything but threatening.

"Huh-uh," Luke commented with a shake of his head, "that's still '_wayyyy_' too convenient."

"Well, then, answer this: what could I possibly gain from allowing you to become a Jedi – to fulfill your complete potential even – if I were only bent on turning you afterward? You realize, of course, that the more powerful you grow in the Light Side of the Force, the more entrenched in your positions you will become, and the more difficult you will be for anyone to defeat, myself included."

"Unless I were already siding with you despite my being a Jedi."

"Granted," the Sith Lord tilted his head magnanimously, "but can you see it happening?"

Luke snorted in derision. "Not in a million years."

* * *

"So there's nothing to worry about," Vader retorted, sighing inwardly in relief and, when he Felt Luke drop the topic for now, followed suite.

It had been a risky strategy to challenge his son with the possible goal of his plan. He had been aware that the clever youth could stumble on the endgame without further prompting from his part, and he had, but it had seemed so preposterous to the Jedi that he had dismissed it out of hand.

Vader, though, was still confident that it would all happen, if in due time and along the course of several months and years, and he would never '_turn_' the boy as he kept being afraid of.

Now, however, was not the time to push it further with the child as he had yet to gain his trust in the first place.

"You still didn't tell me how Artoo fits into all this," the boy said in the silence, returning to their initial topic.

Vader was relieved that, despite what he had shared with the child about his mother's death, and Luke's continued distrust, the boy was still willing to listen and talk with him. The youth was uneasy, of course, but he was also curious despite himself, like only an orphan child could be. However, unlike Anakin that would have believed just about anything if any kind of father had ever been mentioned to him, his young Jedi didn't take his words at face value. Instead, he carefully pondered and weighted them before deciding what he believed and what he didn't, as well as how he felt about his true father and all his contradictions, or so he Felt from the boy at any rate.

"Of course," he acquiesced to his son's latest question. "Your mother gave him to me, some time after our secret wedding. Back then, Artoo and I had been flying together a lot at the time and she didn't need '_that_' unit in particular, so she gave him to me – which was, I suspect, her way of watching over me from a distance."

His child quirked a shy smile and turned toward the listening droid. "Was it?"

Artoo shook his head in negative, but Vader knew better than to believe everything the little fry fluted. Unlike Threepio, Artoo '_was_' able to lie when it served his purpose. "I was glad to see that you kept him in good condition," he commented to his son. "I never thought that he'd still be running around after all this time."

"Yeah," Luke nodded thoughtfully while he patted the droid's head in affection, "he was aboard Leia's ship when you captured her. She told me that he and Threepio had been permanently assigned to the Tantive IV before they became involved in our adventures. She had interacted with Threepio on occasions, but that fateful day above Tatooine was the first time that she had seen Artoo. After he and Threepio landed, Artoo began looking for Ben but the Jawas captured both droids and they ended up with me. Talk about coincidences," he smiled wistfully.

"More than you know, Son. Threepio was mine before I gave him to Padme after... after your grandmother's death," he stumbled, the topic of his mother's death as disturbing as ever. "He and Artoo hit it off instantly but I never thought that they'd always be together afterward."

"Threepio was yours? But Artoo said that you were a slave before you were freed by the Jedi."

"Yes, it's true, but I built him."

"You... what?!"

"I built him. At first, he was only a motivator, an actuator and a group of servos that I found in the junkyard, but it was enough to get me started. I wanted... I wanted my mother to have some help around the house. Later, I found out that his basic program was that of a protocol droid and I went with it while making him a little more... attentive to his mistress' wishes and needs.

"Oh that, _he_ 'is' attentive all right," Luke mumbled.

"I take it that your Wookiee friend managed to fix him after Bespin?"

"How would you... Wait! You _'wanted'_ him to fix him, didn't you?"

"Why else would I leave a destroyed droid with a mechanically-inclined prisoner?" he shrugged.

"Just as you did with me and Artoo then," the boy stated, his senses growing wary once again.

"No," he instantly shook his head in denial, "it was different this time. I wanted you to '_be_' with Artoo once again - your solitude was becoming too unpleasant - and I knew that you could use the distraction while you fixed him."

"And that Artoo would end up softening me enough for me to open the door to you once again," Luke pointed out, still mildly resentful.

"I didn't know that for sure," he defended himself. "But yes, I was hoping that by talking a little with him, you'd become curious enough about me to want to know me better."

"So I was right and it's all part of a bigger plan," his son scowled and turned away, apparently rebuking himself for his naivete and weak-mindedness.

"It is not, Luke," he reassured him firmly. "What I said is exactly what I have in mind, and nothing else. We have lost twenty-two years of our lives already... lives that we might have spent otherwise if things had turned out differently. Why should we waste anymore time that is rightfully ours as a family?"

"Because you aren't the man that you might have been," Luke retorted meaningfully. "You are a Sith Lord and the Empire's harbinger of doom. You lie, you kill, you maim your adversaries, you... torture..." The child shuddered at that and valiantly fought down his disgust before he went on. "Yes, I wish that I had known you when you were Anakin, but I don't want to have anything more to do with who you have become."

"I do '_not_' lie," he argued vehemently, his thought sticking to that particular and unfair argument; his son just really didn't know him. "When have I ever lied to you?"

He was pleased when Luke remained silent, thinking it over.

"My truths may be hard to hear, but I do '_not_' lie. I have been lied to often enough to despise trickery as much as you do."

He had hit a sensitive chord this time, one that he hadn't even known had been there.

"And the liar's hypocrisy is what hurts the most," Luke grumbled, lost in his thoughts before he raised his head once again and locked his blue eyes on him. "So what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't that – this little chit chat – the conclusion of a first step and you're now going to propose a second stage of action?"

While he '_did_' have a second step in mind for later on, Vader would never propose it , and especially not after sharing his part in the untimely death of the boy's mother. Instead, he would let his son choose when and how they would bond further as father and son as well as Force warriors.

He simply trusted his son's innate compassion to do the convincing for him.

"No," he assured him as earnestly as he could. "There isn't anything else but what we are doing right now. As I said," he added, "you are here for your protection, and I only wish that I can get to know you better while you're here. Other than that, everything else is to your discretion. Once I have removed Palpatine from this realm, you will be safe once again."

"Wouldn't you need my help to kill him?"

"It would probably happen faster if you were to help me," he conceded, "but I am confident that I can take him on my own if I plan carefully. As I said, though, this is going to take time. Besides, we never know when someone else might manage to kill him for me. I have high hopes that an attack on him might succeed one day, and especially if I'm not there to protect him."

"You and I both, then," Luke acknowledged with sincerity. "So in the meantime, I just stay here and become a Jedi Knight, huh? To what end?"

"First and foremost, because it is your Destiny. Then-"

Luke interrupted him with a snort. "Destiny," he said, sounding annoyed. "Do you know how tired I am of hearing you say this? What do you know about '_my_' destiny when I don't even know it myself."

"I know that, if you were not meant to be a Jedi, you wouldn't have inherited my limitless gift with the Force, and if you had also been meant to become a powerful Sith instead of a Jedi, you would be one already. You are simply '_far_' too resistant to the allure of various temptations to be destined to be anything but a Jedi. I also believe that your existence and incorruptibility were meant to reconnect me with a part of myself that I thought was lost, and that this return to my true self is the key to fixing my mistakes of the past, starting with you."

"Convenient yet again, though."

"Well, consider this, and I think that I will leave you after that: back on Balti, and up to the '_moment_' that I was delivered the pad that contained the information regarding your identity, I only cared about how useful you would be to me against Palpatine. I also grudgingly respected your strength of will but I was still adamant to crush your spirit, no matter what, before allowing you to recover from this first '_formality_'."

He noticed how Luke once again shuddered in revulsion. This time, the youth also wrapped his arms around himself, as if holding himself in self-protection while he unfortunately relived several details of their ill-fated first encounter.

"Then," he said and stood up, turning toward the exit while putting physical distance between them so as to stop tormenting him with his close proximity, "I read your name, and all that changed. I don't know if I would have been ready to stop the torture yet – it was too sudden a shock for that much to change all at once – but I instantly regretted our current circumstances and vowed that I would not only make it up to you but that I would reclaim the son that had been stolen from me by the Jedi and, indirectly, by Darth Sidious."

Luke remained silent, but at least he was thinking once again, his senses less in the thralls of his '_most_-_unpleasant_' and unfortunately-still vivid memories.

"You are my son, Luke. You are the only part of your mother that I have left, and whereas I failed to protect her by doing what was right, I will not fail where you are concerned. Yes, I wish to know you – I believe that is normal given our forced estrangement – and I wish that we were working together against Palpatine, but I will accept whatever I can actually have with you and let you be regarding the rest. I only want us to be together."

"And to keep me safe from harm."

"That, too. As for what I provided you with in here, I thought that you'd like to further your training, and that you'd like to see your mother at the top of her political game. However, if you ever wish for anything else that I didn't foresee, just let me know. I will not let you go, but I will make certain that your sojourn here is as pleasant as possible."

Luke remained silent and Vader took another step toward the door of the living room.

"What happened to you?" Came the quiet question and Vader turned around to see Luke looking back up at him. "Why exactly are you in that survival suit?"

It was Vader's turn to hesitate for a moment. He had known that this topic would come up some day, but he hadn't thought that it would happen this quickly. He had also been careful to steer away from that topic and so, although he had mentioned the duel earlier, he had been careful to leave the details out. Yet, here he was, confronted to it. "Obi-Wan and I fought on Mustafar... It is a volcanic world in the Atravis sector... Not the best of landscapes for safe duelling...," he added, remembering other just as fierce duels that had been more forgiving in case of accidents "We both fought with the intention of killing each other... until he cut off my remaining limbs, making me completely helpless as I laid on the bank of a lava river. Because of the intense heat and our proximity of the lava, my clothes quickly caught fire... He..." he hesitated, fighting down his old hatred and horror of that day.

No, he would not go down that path again. He had learnt better.

"Obi-Wan left me to my sordid fate," he said and remained silent when he heard hiss in breath, thoroughly horror-struck. "I should have died," Vader went on quietly. "But my suddenly boundless hatred for him kept the great void at bay. Palpatine then found me and..."

"He saved you," Luke understood yet his features were contorted with dismay. "How could Obi-Wan... couldn't you be healed?" He asked, bringing yet another sensitive topic that he preferred not to bring up too fast with his still rebellious son.

"Medicine has made great progress since then, but twenty-two years ago, this apparatus and suit were my only hope of ever being mobile and autonomous again. Since then, the scars have healed and the system can't be replaced without killing me. At least, that's what the numerous medics I consulted concluded."

"Were they all imperial medics?"

"No, and if you mean that Palpatine prefers to keep me in that limbo, I know that. I even think that if '_that_' accident hadn't happened, he would have found another way to make me wear that suit because it was already waiting for me by the time we returned to Coruscant. It could only mean that he intended to use it... someday."

"Hnnn, I knew he was evil, I never even doubted it," Luke commented thoughtfully, "but that is... Do you think the Alliance can ever defeat him?"

"With the right kind of help to tip the balance in their favor, yes."

"Then let me be that someone!" his son pleaded, standing to his feet, his usual countenance recovered. "I can't stay here forever! Not when there is so much to do to defeat him!"

Vader shook his head ponderously. "No, and this is not negotiable."

His son was naturally resentful of his patronizing and took two steps closer to him, his hands going to his hips in unspoken defiance.

"However," the Dark Lord placated him quickly "'_I_' will be that help they need. If you want to assist me in that endeavor, I will gladly accept any input you want to share, but if not, I will still do everything I can to help them without appearing to."

"Yet you won't help them defeat the Empire as a whole, only the Emperor so that you can take his place. That's neither their goal nor mine."

"At first, it will have to be this way, but it needs not always remain so. My experience with two very different galactic administrations have led me to study other possible ways to rule the galaxy; I think it can be done the right way without turning it into a dictatorship or worse, a tyranny, and yet not repeat the mistakes of the past and the corrupted Republic."

* * *

"And you expect me to believe that as well?" Luke sneered in derision.

Vader shrugged his large shoulders in indifference. "As I said, I will do it either with or without your help. It will simply be your choice to remain a spectator or to take part to the plan. Either way, we will still be together, as father and son, and if I wish it, no one will ever even know that you are still alive and in my custody."

"But you said that once Palpatine was defeated, I'd be safe and free!" he objected and somehow, he reminded himself of when he used to whine at his uncle Owen about his changing decisions regarding his leaving for the Academy.

Like Owen back on Tatooine, Vader also shook his head in disagreement. "I said that you'd be safe, yes, but I haven't decided yet if I will let you go free."

Suddenly reminded of who he was truly dealing with, Luke glared resentfully at his captor and enemy. Vader could pretend all he wanted, or even try to persuade himself that he had changed, but in the end, he would always remain an uncaring and intractable Dark Lord of the Sith.

"I guess that particular decision will depend on whether you will run away from me, or you will choose by yourself to stay by my side."

Luke downright glowered at the selfish dark lord. Basically, he was telling him that they would always be together from now on; either Luke would join him, or else he would be forced to stay with him but in a golden cell. Just great. "Did you ever even take no for an answer from Mother?" he queried sarcastically.

To his satisfaction, the Sith lord remained silent, which meant that he had hit a sensitive chord this time. "I accepted to marry her in secret, didn't I?" he finally answered, and then turned heels and walked out of the living room of his quarters. *Just think about it, Son, and let me know if you ever want to talk again."

Luke shut off the link as best as he could, but Vader was still the more powerful of the two, as he had just easily demonstrated. Huffing in frustration, Luke sat back on the couch. Beside him, Artoo twittered quietly to himself and Luke belatedly realized that the droid had remained extremely quiet throughout the confrontation. "I bet you knew that it'd come to that, didn't you?"

Artoo answered that whether Sith Lord or Jedi, Anakin Skywalker had never lost an argument, even when he gave the impression that he had.

"Meaning?" Luke frowned at his friend.

*That he gave Obi-Wan more than a few gray hairs when he went against his original battle plans and did as '_he_' intended all along."

Luke pondered that fact for a long while and belatedly understood that while he himself was stubborn, his father was downright bantha-headed. He gazed at his mother's frozen image on his vidscreen and sighed. "You must really have been an angel to love him."

He then had a flashback of his best friends Leia and Han arguing as if they would never stop, and he smiled wistfully.

Or perhaps, he conceded, his mother had been stubborn '_and_' diplomatic enough to be a perfect match for Anakin.

Since he was no diplomat, though, he wondered if he and his father would ever get along because they were both completely stubborn and unyielding.

Then, of course, there was the tiny detail that unless he managed to convince his father that he had accepted to willingly stay by his side, he would never be free ever again, let alone be able to attempt an escape. As for deceiving Vader about his true intentions, it would be easier to carry a Hutt than fool a Sith, he was certain of this.

"Sith, what did '_I_' do to get '_him_' for a father?" he complained to no one yet almost expected an answer from the Force.

As usual, none was offered.

* * *

Several days later, Vader completed his latest technological project and proceeded to establish the permanent and heavily encrypted uplink between the newly-installed recording device that he had concealed in his mask and his son's specially-designed one-way receiver. He had taken extreme precautions to ensure that it was completely independent from any other system that the Emperor could use to find and uncover his greatest secret.

Now, as soon as he was done, his young Jedi would be able to see and hear everything his '_untrustworthy_' father did and said, most especially what he did for his plans against Palpatine and how he acted when he didn't have specific orders from the tyrant.

Hopefully, that would then lead Luke to know him better and understand that he '_had_' changed as far and as much as he could under the circumstances.

Then, perhaps, his son would choose to work with him and the plan would proceed faster. As for his ultimate goal, there was always hope that by collaborating with him, the boy would also get to '_care_' about him and eventually wish to even heal him.

Luke's spontaneous sympathy upon hearing about Mustafar and Vader's inability to be healed certainly were encouraging in that regard.

The trick, though, was that the longer Luke wouldn't '_want_' to know more about him, the longer '_that_' would take, and so, he had decided to help speed up the process a little by providing the youth with an indirect way to learn more about his father's true self.

Of course, he wouldn't restrain him to '_that_' new channel that he had created for the boy, but he would make sure that Luke would know that it was now available to him, and he himself would know when his son was and wasn't watching.

While he had devised the new source of input for the boy's holovid screen, he had also made sure to equip it with a recording device so that his wary son could see everything that mattered, when he had time to sit and watch, while he still kept up with his training the rest of the day.

Two days ago, he had gone into the boy's quarters during the day, making sure that both the Jedi and Artoo had been in the training room while he had quickly installed the small device behind the screen and into the appropriate input port. He had then swiftly left and gone back to his quarters where he had continued to work on his modified camera and how to discreetly integrate it into his mask's design.

At long last, he was finally ready to set his new plan in motion.

Or was it really a plan? He wondered while he put his mask back on. After all, it hadn't been part of his original strategy in any way, and yet, he had approached his new idea as he would have any other plan. Was that ill-advised?

He only knew that after speaking with Luke about the past and how he foresaw their future as Father and Son – and after he had been confronted by Luke's utter lack of interest about who he now was – that idea had occurred to the Dark Lord and he had instantly set about concretizing it.

It had been extremely easy for him to covertly acquire the latest model of surveillance camera from the intel department aboard the ship, and then to modify the miniature device for his own needs.

Although it had been a while since he had truly tinkered like he used to - back when he had salvaged and improved See-Threepio - he had fixed and revamped enough rare or fast ships since then – whenever he had come across one during his numerous missions - that he had not lost any of his dexterity and skills. Of course, his innate skills were still as strong as ever, but if he hadn't kept himself really-well acquainted with the progress of technology and electronics, he would have been unable to perform all the necessary modifications on his own.

Even fixing Artoo a little more than what intelligence had before delivering him to his son would not have helped him much for that new project.

After all, the droid's pre-Clone-Wars technology certainly didn't compare with the state-of-the-art miniatures that were used in imperial intelligence nowadays, or with any electronic technology for that matter. Artoo's old components were bulky and simple in comparison, merely meant to fit in with one another to complete circuits. If they were ever lost or beyond repair, the whole system would have to be replaced as the missing piece would be obsolete and impossible to find or rebuild anymore.

Of course, there might still be the possibility that a mechanical genius could find a way to build a compatible part using the new technology while leaving the rest as it was, but it would be a time-consuming endeavor... and not a lucrative one in any way.

In short, his son had better take care of his droid if he didn't want to be faced by this unpleasant situation and, although he didn't doubt his boy's mechanical talents – as Luke had proven when he had put the droid back together in record time – his skills still seemed limited as far as ingenuity and creativity were concerned.

That meant that, aside from himself, Vader couldn't think of anyone else able to perform the kind of repair that would be needed to build a compatible part for his once-friend, and he didn't have the time to do so, or ever would.

And why was he thinking about that? He wondered before he refocused on the sight of the mask that was back in place over his unsightly features. It was time to initiate his new project, and he'd begin by sending a secret message to the Rebellion's Bothan spies about the whereabouts of the new Death Star.

While the message would go through several sources before it finally made it into the Bothans' hands, it would still reach its intended recipients in the end. It had taken him a while to find the means through which he could send important information to the Rebels without ever being linked to its source, but after a year and a half of discreet research and studying of intelligence reports, he had finally set in place a reliable network of both underground agents and unaware allies that carried for him vital intelligence through to the enemy camp.

From previous experiences with information of lesser importance, he estimated that it would take a month or two before Rebel command heard of his new secret input.

It was sufficient speed as far as he was concerned. After all, the new planet killer was far from being operational, and it was even further away from being mobile the way its predecessor had been. His latest contribution was also a mere first step toward delivering that kind of intel as he had much, much more vital information to impart to the Rebellion if he ever wanted to help them kill the Emperor.

How to eliminate the Sith master's resources on Byss, for example, would soon follow, as would tidbits regarding the top-secret security dispositions of Coruscant, the imperial palace and even the imperial residence. That very sensitive and little-known information, however, would have to be scattered throughout more obvious but no less reliable information so that whatever he sent would '_always_' make it all the way to the top of the Rebel chain of command.

Still, this was in the future, and for now, he had to focus on how to phrase his message so that it wouldn't give away the highly-classified information right away but would merely point the Rebels' search in the right direction.

* * *

That evening, when Luke turned on the holovid while he ate his supper, he expected to be greeted by the nasal voice of the spokesperson that introduced the news report at this time of the day. However, what appeared on the screen was a moving image that he had never seen before – and he instantly noticed the absence of icon at the bottom of the screen that identified which network he was watching – yet it was also familiar, somehow.

Then it clicked and he realized that he was seeing the bridge of an imperial star destroyer.

What? He frowned, his steaming plate completely forgotten while he stood up to study the image more closely. "Artoo? Did you change anything?" he asked the droid that was also wondering what was going on.

His friend whistled a negative.

A man then approached the recording/transmitting device and bowed his head in deference. "My Lord, we have arrived in the Bestine system."

"Good, Admiral. Proceed to Bestine IV. I leave the details in your hands. Do not fail me, Admiral Piett."

Vader! Luke gaped even as he backpedalled in shock. This was coming from Vader... "I don't und-"

Artoo interrupted him and pointed out that there was now a blinking icon in the top right corner. Uncertain, the young Jedi stepped closer to the large flat screen and tentatively touched the icon; he couldn't think of any other way to proceed.

Almost instantly, the live feed was replaced by a series of small images that apparently corresponded to every fifteen minutes of the day. There were also some images that were marked by a red dot. Before he could choose, Artoo had extended his mechanical arm and had touched such an image that he could reach.

While Luke silently scolded him for his imprudent initiative, the image on the screen changed once again.

This time, he could see – still from his father's point of view, it appeared – as Vader read through intelligence reports, some of which attracted his attention as possible Rebel contacts, or so Luke could deduce from his own reading of the decrypted text. After a while, Luke understood that the dismissed reports went to the right of the desk while the ones that Vader intended to follow up on went to the left.

To Luke's resignation, the report that concerned the Rebel fleet gathering in the Outer Rim went to the left. However, almost any other report that, when read between the lines, hinted at a more specific location, or even at how that location was transmitted to the various Rebel groups, went to the right and were marked as not reliable.

The Jedi knew better than that, though.

From what he had read and Felt when he hadn't been aware of the operations related to the report, the intel had all been reliable, and his father had undoubtedly Felt it as well, and yet...

When that part of the recording was over, the screen returned to the list of periods of the day.

Curious despite himself, Luke touched another red-marked icon. At first, he was walking down the long corridors of Executor, but then, he stepped through sliding doors and military officers, mostly ground generals and lieutenants, as well as fleet colonels and lieutenants, stood at attention behind the chairs of a long meeting table. Vader ordered them to sit down and stood at the end of the table while two other men that had followed him in – an admiral and a captain by the looks of their insignias – sat in the last remaining seats near the Sith Lord.

"Your reports, gentlemen," Vader intoned gravelly while he silently allowed his subalterns to sit down.

"My Lord," a middle-aged, broad-shouldered man bowed to Vader after he stood up, "the crews of the new frigates are ready to transfer at your command."

"Good. What of the reports of Rebel sympathizers in the shipyards?"

Another man stood up and bowed after the first one sat down. "They have been routed out by the new security measures that were implemented. However, the local garrison lost track of the potential Rebels in the city."

A third one, a younger man, then reported as well. "The squadrons are ready to provide air-cover; they have been training for such a situation for the past days."

"Their rate of collateral damage is still too high," Vader cut in harshly. "They will not fire unless it is at ships that have managed to take off. Once we will have dealt with the Rebels, we will not give the citizens of Gasha another reason to resist anew. Deploy our own troops on the ground to secure all the spaceports. Lieutenant Griov," he said and a younger officer snapped to attention. "Arrange contact with the local garrisons in one hour."

"As you wish, my Lord."

"Let this be clear to everyone here and under your command: the Emperor orders us to quell a rising local rebellion, not to give them further grief to pick up where we will end the current pro-rebels."

"Yeah, right," Luke sneered and threw a glance at Artoo. "Now '_that_' wasn't from the Emperor's mouth." Yet if it didn't come from Palpatine, then why would Vader not only mention that but also make sure that every involved party would make sure that there would be no useless carnage this time?

"What of the Rebels themselves, my Lord? Do we kill them once we have ascertained their guiltiness?" A new officer inquired.

'Which would be based not on facts but on rumors and unconfirmed suspicions,' Luke suspected grimly. Unless the Alliance could intervene, somehow, several innocents would lose their lives again.

"Not this time, General Veers. Capture them and bring them aboard. I will interrogate them myself."

Luke reflexively Reached out and stopped the recording even as a shiver of dread ran down his spine and all the way to his toes before running back up and settling in his stomach, making him even more nauseous than he already was.

He then ran toward his 'fresher and relieved his stomach.

He would not be eating anything tonight.

* * *

Vader was overseeing the ongoing search for the dissidents of Oridin City, monitoring the reports, and especially the restraint his troops were showing. He was pleased that while his reasoning had been accepted as law by all his underlings, it would also prove to his son that he was not-

A violent Feeling of disgust and uncontrollable fear came through the Force and from his son and he instantly Reached out toward the boy. *Son, what's wrong?"

*Don't call me that!" the youth snapped back before he shut their link.

This time, it was closed so well from the Jedi's end that the Sith couldn't re-establish the communication, not even if he wanted to.

Luke was growing even stronger than him now.

However, the fact that the youth was once again closing up to him was not how he expected things to proceed by now. Slightly worried that matters were yet again getting out of hands, he found his center and searched for clues as to what could have happened to his boy to turn him around so drastically.

When the answer came to him, he cursed himself. So much for helping to bridge the gap between him and Luke...

Turning around without a word, he walked off the bridge and back to his quarters. Fortunately for him, it wasn't unusual for him to monitor operations from his quarters, which were just as functional for that end as the bridge itself.

There, he went into his private rooms, unlocked Luke's door and walked in.

He was almost immediately met by a flurry of accusations from the tin can that was ready to take on a Sith if it meant protecting his young master.

"If you don't want to be taken apart yet again, don't use that language with me," he warned his former droid meaningfully even as he cast out his Senses to locate Luke's presence.

He found him just as the boy's voice came from the 'fresher's closed door. "Leave me alone!"

Intent on rectifying the situation before it could worsen, Vader ignored the child's protests and entered the closed 'fresher.

He stopped short at the sight of his son sitting on the tiled floor and leaning against the wall while remaining close enough to the toilet; Vader understood that he had thrown up not so long ago and that he wasn't feeling much better since then.

"Luke, what..?"

"I knew you wouldn't be able to keep up the charade forever," his son groused knowingly.

"What happened? And what charade are you talking about?"

"You'll interrogate them '_yourself_'?" the Jedi accused resentfully- and then leaned back up toward the toilet and threw up again.

This time, Vader understood and mentally kicked himself for not thinking of '_that_' sensitive issue with Luke before talking like he had.

He walked back toward the sink and poured a large glass of water for the child; from the corner of his electronic lenses, he noticed that Artoo remained at the edge of the doorway, careful not to come in yet still remain within sighting range of his young master. Vader ignored him and picked up a towel from a hanger before he returned by his son's side. "Here, this will help, and if you'll allow me to explain, it won't happen again."

Luke accepted the glass of water but glared at him. "Why should I believe anything that comes out of your mouth?"

"As I said, I don't lie," he reminded him firmly while he sat on the edge of the deep bathtub that he wished he could take advantage of. "As for what you saw and heard, I couldn't very well tell them everything '_else_' that I was planning. However, I give you my word that I will not harm the prisoners. I simply had to cover up that fact so as to not attract undue attention on my '_slight_' change of tactic."

"Slight change of tactic? You will still separate families based on nothing but unfounded rumours, and-"

"Do you really believe that Palpatine would specify not to kill the Rebel sympathizers unless he wanted them to be interrogated? And so, if he didn't give me more specific orders than to see to the Rebels on Bestine IV, what other reason could I have to justify with him my own orders unless I meant to use them like... usual?"

Luke wanted to argue, Vader could see it from the way his son's lips moved silently while his blue eyes glared blaster bolts at him from under his long hair fringe. However, the child had to concede the point and they both knew it.

"I do not lie to you, Luke. However, just like Palpatine hides his own schemes and goals in half-truths and actions that appear logical yet conceal his true intentions, so have I learnt to do. What he doesn't care about, I use to my own advantage while not appearing to do so. In this case, he didn't give me any precise order on how to proceed, so I made sure that the Rebel sympathizers would not die. However, I can't release them, I obviously can't leave them in the local jails as that would invite the locals to help them, and I can't plan to bring them aboard unless I have a good reason for keeping them alive, or that at least appear to have such a reason."

"And that reason is, of course... '_that_'."

"Sadly so, yes... The results of years of cruel heartlessness, I'm afraid... That being said, this time of my life is over and I will not harm any prisoner ever again; in the present case, I will simply pretend to scour their minds with the Force, and then deliver them to the penal colony of Kessel where they always need new resources. When I will be Emperor, I will free any and all political prisoners from the penal system and so, those new captives will not be there for long."

"If they're still alive by then, that is," Luke frowned, unconvinced. "Han told me a lot about Kessel and how few survive down there. If you '_really_' want to save them," he then challenged him, arching an eyebrow in unspoken sign of doubt that he would change his plan, "send them at Star's End, Despayre, or even Belsavis. Anywhere but Kessel at any rate."

Vader pondered the boy's advice a moment before he nodded in agreement. "You're right. I hadn't thought of it this way."

"Of course, you didn't," Luke slurred, remaining on his guard.

Vader gave him a moment to finish his glass of water, and then tossed the towel on the floor between them. Luke silently accepted it and wiped his mouth while closing his eyes in an effort to gather his composure.

"I assure you that unless '_he_' tells me to, I will never, ever harm anyone ever again."

"Yet you hurt Han and Chewie on Bespin. You even-"

"It was the only way that I had to reach you, and that was 'before' I understood the unforgiving errors of my ways. However, I didn't... I..." he weighted his words carefully. "Even then, I chose the least-damaging means that I had at my disposal, and I didn't touch a hair on Princess Leia's head."

The youth was obviously less than convinced as he grimaced at his explanation.

"As for Solo, he took you from me so many times that I was honestly upset with him and finally had a chance to vent my frustration on him. He '_is_' very annoying, as you probably know."

"That's still not a reason to torture him, or anyone for that matter."

The boy glared up at him, and then back down at the floor and stared at his droid that was still waiting for them at the end of the 'fresher. Vader remained silent as well but didn't move to leave. He had at least managed to reconnect with the boy; he would wait for his son's next comment before saying anything that might ruin the truce that they seemed to have reached once again.

* * *

"Do you really want to prove to me that you've changed?" Luke asked after he straightened up a little.

Naturally, Vader leapt at the occasion that he was offering him on a silver platter.

Luke pondered again the implications of what he was about to propose, but the truth was, he, his friends and the Rebellion had everything to gain from his request, and Vader, well... perhaps the Sith would win him as an ally, but perhaps he wouldn't win much either.

Still, the fact was that it was a no brainer as far as immediate gains were concerned.

"Then free Han Solo and return him to the Alliance and Leia."

Since he expected the Sith Lord to object to his request, Luke was thoroughly surprised when Vader simply nodded in acquiescence and stood up from his seat. "I will see to it right after the ongoing operation. Of course, you understand that I can't intervene directly but I will send my best agents who will see to his safe return while keeping your other friends out of harm's way. You can follow all the details on the same channel you discovered today."

"And if I don't watch it anymore?" Luke reflexively challenged him.

"Then you don't," Vader shrugged, walking past the eerily quiet Artoo. "However, you'll then only have my word to prove to you that I held my part of the bargain."

"Bargain?" Luke straightened up in shock. "What bargain? I never said-"

"You said that you'd give me a chance to prove my claims to you. '_That_' is the bargain. I will also take your advice regarding the prisoners' next destination. You are far wiser than I will ever be, Son. Your mother would be proud of your universal care."

And with that, he had left again, and Luke had to rebuke himself for not realizing that he had just offered to get to know his father better.

Yet, considering the new holovid channel that he had at his disposal, it merely meant that he would pay some attention to it. It didn't mean that he was joining Vader in any way, did it?

Not even if he had given him sound advice that his father had then decided to use?

Force, if only he could be certain that he was not risking his soul every single time that he interacted with Vader...

He leaned back against the wall and munched on his uncertainties for a long while and late into the night.

Through it all, Artoo remained by his side, offering his silent support in whatever his young master would decide to do about the situation.

* * *

As it was, Luke decided to use his droid as a buffer between himself and his father, asking Artoo to pre-screen for him the recordings on Vader's '_channel_' so as to pinpoint for him both when the Sith was acting as the Vader they knew, and when he was acting as Anakin that Artoo used to know. That way, Luke could continue to train as much as he could – the results of which made him more confident when dealing with Vader – while he would also know soon enough if he could truly trust his captor's word.

Thus he had prepared for the evening and had even eaten while reading some more in the book that he had begun a few days earlier, and he was now sitting in the living room with a notepad on his lap. He finally asked Artoo to show him the result of his studies of the recordings.

Artoo thrilled excitedly and gave him the pad on which he had registered his results while using his pincer extension to point at the latest entry on the list.

Luke shrugged and searched for that recording in the list of the '_channel's_' main menu. Using the Force, he started it and sat at attention. He couldn't imagine what could excite Artoo like this, but when it would play, he was confident that he would not miss it. The first minutes showed Vader standing in front of a viewport, which Artoo commented that he did a lot when he was alone.

Then, the Sith lord turned around and left the bridge. He silently walked for long minutes down busy corridors, into a turbolift, and then down more corridors until he went into a high-security section of the ship. Luke sat straighter at that and wondered what his captor had been up to.

What he saw caught him completely unprepared. Indeed, whereas he had never heard of aliens being aboard imperial ships except in their detention blocks or as hard-labor slaves, there were not only free aliens aboard Executor, but they were even-

"What are they doing?" he wondered out loud when any grey-skinned alien that crossed Vader's path instantly fell to their knees after going through a series of intricate hands and arms movements.

Artoo answered that it was obvious while Luke noticed how Vader acknowledged the aliens' honorific greetings by motioning them back to their feet.

"I know it's obvious, but I mean... why do they show him that kind of reverence? It's as if he is their Lord, not just '_a_' Sith Lord..." He fell silent when Vader reached a large door; beyond that door, a ship sat in the revealed small hangar bay. The aliens inside the hangar also performed the unfamiliar greeting, to which Vader answered by addressing the alien by his name! "Rise, Sakhisakh, clan Tlakh'sar, I have a mission for you and your squad. You leave for Tatooine. No one, imperial, Rebel, or otherwise affiliated must know of this mission, or even know that you were there. The details of the mission are on this disk." He produced a small datadisk.

By then, Luke had long understood that this was the launch of Vader's promised rescue mission to free Han from Jabba the Hutt.

"It is our honor to serve you flawlessly, my Lord," the small alien, which reminded Luke more of an animal than a humanoid, mewled in a gravelly voice while he bowed once again in obedience.

"Once this mission is complete, go to Honoghr and bring back the dynasts of all the clans. I need to speak to them and I can't leave long enough to visit them properly."

Honoghr? Luke mused, the pilot in him already trying to chart the unfamiliar world in his mind.

"Your wish is our command, my Lord."

Again, the intricate bow followed the end of this short meeting, and then Vader turned around and Luke lost sight of the intriguing aliens. "Not the usual agents, huh?" he mused out loud.

Artoo thrilled in agreement.

"Who are they? Why do they have that kind of trustworthy position in the xenophobe Empire, let alone in the service of Darth Vader himself?.." Luke picked up the portable work station/imperial holonet reader that he had found amongst his books and ran a search.

He was not surprised at all that the aliens' world was not on any known chart of the galaxy.

"One thing's sure, though. He '_is_' their Lord... however '_that_' happened."

*And Han will soon be free," Artoo reminded him meaningfully.

"Yeah, that, too. I only hope that they'll be on time to save him before Jabba decided to kill him... or that Leia and the others go in and..."

His droid reminded him that when the two of them had been captured by Vader, Han had not been delivered to Jabba yet. They could hope that his friend had only arrived recently on Tatooine, hence that no one had had time to plan anything in any way.

"Yes, you're right, and if Vader sent the agents to Tatooine, then he must know where to find him. Still, how will we be sure that Vader was honest with me That Han will be back with Leia and Chewie? That, if Leia was already there to save Han, they will also be kept safe during the operation?"

Artoo didn't have an answer for '_that_' dilemma.

Luke pondered the problem for a moment or two, wrote it on his notepad so as to remember it later on, and then turned back toward his droid. "Is there anything else of true interest after seeing that?"

Artoo considered his list a moment, and then highlighted only two other entries, sparing him from an extra ten of them.

The youth sat back and called up the first entry that would be of interest for him.

* * *

Five days later, Luke awoke on his own, yet still as early as ever. His internal clock was simply forever set on his schedule on the farm. Lately, though, he allowed himself the luxury of staying in bed a little longer, giving himself time to wake up completely and plan his day before actually getting to it.

Slowly, feeling the slight complain of every muscle that he had worked out the previous day, he stretched languidly. In a way, he felt like one of the wild cats that he had seen on the nature report that he had watched a few days ago; he smiled slightly at the mental image and, after a last round of stretching, pushed himself to a sitting position and looked around his quiet quarters.

"Artoo?" he called while he stood up from the bed.

His droid fluted from the day room.

Ah, recharging then, he gathered. Reaching out with the Force, he turned on the light and deactivated the opaque mode of the viewport. He then gazed briefly outside when he noticed that they weren't in hyperspace this time.

He saw that they were near a nebula, but with no other clue as to their whereabouts, he couldn't figure out where they were exactly.

He distractedly scratched his head, mussed his hair more per habit than real usefulness, and then turned back toward the rest of the room. It was then, and only then, that he noticed the presence of the gray-skinned alien that was standing still in the furthest corner of the room.

He started in shock and quickly assumed a defensive position. How?.. What?.. How could he slip in without Artoo's notice?.. or his own?

"Greetings, Son of Vader," the alien said in a gravelly voice even as he performed their intricate form of bow. "I am Cakhmaim, clan Eikh'mir. I bring a message from Han clan Solo."

"H.. Han?" Luke gaped and belatedly remembered that the diminutive aliens had been sent to rescue his friend. "He's okay? You have rescued him already? What about Leia? Did you also manage to keep her safe?"

The noghri was still bowed in respect.

All of a sudden, it occurred to Luke that he was waiting for his authorization before straightening back to a standing position. "Please, stand up. There's no need for that with me."

The alien continued to kneel but he at least looked at him once again. "We will always honor Lord Vader and his descendants for your father's saving our race from self-destruction. It is and will always be our duty to serve you to the best of our ability, Son of Vader."

Luke knew when he was fighting a loosing battle and this was one of them. He sighed in annoyance but held his peace. "All right, I understand. You said that you had a message from Han?"

The alien flicked his large clawed hand and produced a portable recorder from out of thin air, or so it seemed to Luke. "Your friends are all safe and back with the Rebellion, Son of Vader. We returned Han clan Solo to his consort and saw them all safely off the planet. They sent us this recording to confirm their safe arrival at their fleet rendezvous point. I am honored to now deliver it to you."

Uneasy with the near-veneration that laced the mewling voice of the alien, the youth remained frozen for a moment before his droid, which had come to investigate his master's unexpected companion, thrilled encouragingly, spurring him into motion.

Right, what '_was_' he waiting for?

Acutely aware that he was not acting like high society but rather as the farmboy that he used to be, Luke stepped closer and picked up the holorecorder from the alien's hand.

Cakhmaim hadn't changed position since first producing it. When the alien didn't stand up after accomplishing his mission, the Jedi began fidgeting in nervousness. "Ah, thank you, Cakhmaim. I appreciate your good services. You can return to your unit now."

And that was completely lame, Luke mentally kicked himself.

Cakhmaim, however, didn't comment on his lack of stately polish and merely bowed again before he fluidly stood back to his feet and silently left through the main door.

Luke then noticed how the small alien stopped outside the open door and stood aside where he remained while the door slid close and locked once again. When he reached out with the Force, the Jedi understood that the alien's duty was now to watch over him.

He then Cast his senses a little further and encountered at least two other alien-feeling minds, one standing slightly away while the third one was in another room completely, yet also in Vader's quarters. Bodyguards, he belatedly understood.

His father had assigned him Noghri bodyguards.

Luke wasn't certain how he felt about this new disposition and made a note to discuss this change of situation with Vader when he would come by, for the Sith would come by, he was certain of it.

After all, the older man had upheld his end of the bargain, so it was now up to Luke to do so as well and at least allow his father to discuss with him.

As for Han's rescue- Han! He startled in shock, realizing that he had completely forgotten the precious holorecorder that he now held.

"Artoo, can you-?"

His droid had already beaten him to the punch and had loaded the recorder in himself. Somehow, he had managed to pluck it from his loosened artificial fingers without Luke ever being aware of it.

He had really zoned out for a moment, but then he supposed that the shock he had just felt upon discovering the surprising new arrangements kind of justified his lack of ability to split his attention this time.

"Okay," he answered Artoo's question, "I'm ready. You can play it."

Artoo whistled again before his holotransmitter turned on and, like Luke had seen Leia for the first time ever, a small three-dimensional image of both Han and Leia appeared in washed out colours in front of Artoo.

"Huh, ah," Han began, and from his lack of orientation, Luke gathered that his friend was still blind from hibernation sickness, at least when the recording had taken place, "well, I don't know exactly who to thank for my rescue, but thanks. I owe you one."

"We all do," Leia added gratefully. "As per your servants' request, we confirm to you that we are all safe and sound and back with the Alliance. Han's eyesight is improving and he should have recovered it completely in a day or two. I also reassure you, also per your request, that only Han was ever in Jabba's palace. We hadn't initiated our rescue yet when your servants brought Han to us at our temporary base of operation on Tatooine."

"Oh yeah, by the way," Han added, raising his hand to signal his desire to speak some more. "I heard about the destruction of Jabba's palace and the death of the Hutt and his minions. Thanks for freeing us, myself and anyone else who had a debt to him and/or a warrant on our heads. No one will miss him, I guarantee you."

"No kidding," Luke commented, nodding in agreement. Even though he had never strayed close to the outlaw element of Tatooine save for that one occasion when he had left with Ben and the droids, Luke had known that anyone who ever worked for the crime lord always ended up, one day or another, owing him more money than they could pay back.

Then, of course, there were the Hutt's slaver traders that had raided outskirt communities from time to time, not to mention all the spice addicts that had been manipulated into indenture merely to get their next fix.

Indeed, Jabba's death would not be missed by any good citizen who already had hard enough by trying to make a decent living while fighting against the desert and the sandpeople.

"Anyway, yeah, thanks a load, friend."

"If the Force wills it, I hope that we can someday thank you in person. This recording will suffice to identify yourself with us as it carries a unique Alliance clearance code. Until then, thank you from the bottom of our hearts and, if you ever wish to help us further in our fight for Freedom, the Alliance is '_always_' looking for allies."

Yeah, now he really wished that he could do anything else for them, but other than convince his father to release him or take them both to the Alliance, there was little chance of that happening anytime soon.

The recording came to an end and a line of static replaced the holo before Artoo's projector turned off completely. Luke then walked over to his unmade bed and sat in its corner, lost in thoughts.

They were safe. They were still fighting against the Empire, hence always in danger, but at least Han's misadventure with bounty hunters and Jabba was over.

Furthermore, Leia and Han were once again together '_and_' in love. They would be all right, at least for a while. So what now? He wondered, leaning his elbows on his knees and propping his chin in his cupped hands. Darn, he felt so useless, stuck in here as he was.

Artoo fluted a question while he trundled closer to him and Luke directed his forlorn gaze toward him. "Yeah, you and me both, buddy," he answered, guessing at the droid's comment. "Can you make a copy of that recording and its code?"

His droid beeped in affirmative.

"Good. Please do so. I'll keep the recorder handy after that." So as to be able to see his friends again in at least that way, he added silently while he closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

This wouldn't be a good day, he concluded after munching on his pessimism for a moment or two.

Feeling glum and more than a little depressed, he laid back on his bed and, turning around toward the unobstructed viewport, gazed absentmindedly at the tantalizing sight of the stars that seemed to be screaming for him to rejoin them and make them peaceful once again.

After a while, moisture formed in his eyes and a few tears of despair rolled down his face and plopped down on his blankets.

Aware of his master's downcast mood, Artoo merely stood by him and clucked in reassurance before he powered down to his minimal level of awareness.

Neither of them moved after that.

TBC

* * *

Well? How was that? How did you like the father/son conversations? About Vader's explanations/interpretations of the events of his youth? How about Vader's new plan to allow Luke to 'witness' the changes he claims he has undergone? And what about the Noghris' appearance? What do you think will happen next? :)

Have a great week-end everyone, and remember, reviews are very precious gifts all year long Moreover, this is a great incentive to work again ASAP on a story in stand-by :)

P.s. : By the way, sorry about the ' ' around the italicized words, but it was either leave them there and post this week, or erase them before posting and not update before another month at least... I am already one month later than I expected to be ready for this update... I figured that updating the stories was more important for you than the ' '. Was I right?

While you enjoy the new updates, I will finish the edition and remove the ' ', don't worry ;P


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